Bishop Robert McElroy, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego, offered prayers and congratulations to President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris.
The President-elect is a devout Catholic who frequently uses Biblical references in his speeches and statements. On Saturday night, he quoted from the Book of Ecclesiastes in his victory address to the nation.
Biden is only the second Catholic elected President of the United States. John F. Kennedy was the first.
“I want to offer my prayers and heartfelt congratulations to President-elect Biden, Vice-President-elect Harris and all of the men and women across our nation who have been elected to national, state and local office this week,” said McElroy in a statement Saturday.
“In a time of pandemic and deep societal division, the American people have entrusted to you a profound mission to transform our political culture so that genuine dialogue and action rooted in wide consensus will characterize our government at every level,” the bishop said.
“You are women and men of differing parties, regions, races, cultures and ideological visions,” he said of the election victors, both Democrats and Republicans. “But that is precisely why you can become the architects of healing, unity and progress for our divided country in the coming years. May God bless you abundantly in your service to this land that all of us love so deeply.”
McElroy described Biden’s election as a historic moment for the Catholic community in America.
“He will become only the second Catholic in American history to serve in the Presidency,” the Bishop said. “I pray that in the difficult challenges that will confront him, the heritage of Catholic faith that he received from his parents will be a source of enduring hope and joy, consolation and comfort, and wisdom and guidance.”
The Diocese of San Diego serves more than 1.3 million Catholics in San Diego and Imperial Counties. It includes 98 parishes, 49 elementary and secondary schools, Catholic Charities and various social service and family support organizations throughout the region.
