Pope Francis extends his ‘cordial good wishes’ to pro-abortion President Biden

[Stone]

Pope Francis extends his ‘cordial good wishes’ to pro-abortion President Biden

At no point did the Pope call upon Biden to show concern for the hundreds of thousands of preborn babies who are killed by abortion each year in America.

ROME, January 20, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) – Pope Francis extended his “cordial good wishes and the assurance of my prayers” to incoming pro-abortion U.S. President Joe Biden, a man who claims to be Catholic while backing pro-abortion, anti-family, and pro-LGBT policies.

The Pope in his message prayed that Biden’s decisions “will be guided by a concern for building a society marked by authentic justice and freedom, together with unfailing respect for the rights and dignity of every person, especially the poor, the vulnerable and those who have no voice.”

At no point did the Pope call upon Biden to show concern for the hundreds of thousands of preborn babies who are killed by abortion each year in America.

The Pope’s message (read full message below) comes after the Vatican ordered the U.S. bishops’ conference (USCCB) to hold back a statement that was to have been released this morning that called attention to Biden’s pledge to pursue policies that would advance “moral evils” in the areas of “abortion, contraception, marriage, and gender.”

Sources in the Vatican told The Pillar that the statement was, in the words of The Pillar, “spiked after intervention from the Vatican Secretariat of State, hours before it was due to be released.”

That statement is, however, now available on the USCCB website, although it is not listed among the regular news articles.

The “Statement on the Inauguration of Joseph R. Biden” was penned by conference president Archbishop José Gomez. Noting that Biden is the country’s “first president in 60 years to profess the Catholic faith,” Gomez pointed out that the incoming president’s agenda does not square with Catholic teaching.

“So, I must point out that our new President has pledged to pursue certain policies that would advance moral evils and threaten human life and dignity, most seriously in the areas of abortion, contraception, marriage, and gender. Of deep concern is the liberty of the Church and the freedom of believers to live according to their consciences,” he wrote.

Gomez stressed in the statement that abortion will remain the “preeminent priority” for American bishops during the Biden administration.

“For the nation’s bishops, the continued injustice of abortion remains the ‘preeminent priority.’ Preeminent does not mean ‘only.’ We have deep concerns about many threats to human life and dignity in our society. But as Pope Francis teaches, we cannot stay silent when nearly a million unborn lives are being cast aside in our country year after year through abortion,” he wrote.

According to The Pillar, sources familiar with the situation said there was, in the words of The Pillar,  “concern in the Vatican that a statement from Gomez seen as critical of the Biden administration might seem to force the pope’s hand in his own dealings with the Biden.”

While Pope Francis has been a vocal critic of former U.S. President Donald Trump and his policies (see for example here, here, and here), he appears to have a more accommodating relationship with Biden, a man who claims to be Catholic while supporting unrestricted abortion.

Biden related last month how he and the Pope had talked on the phone after the November 3 presidential election and how the Holy Father had extended “blessings and congratulations.” In a short press statement released on the Biden-Harris transition website, Biden “thanked His Holiness for extending blessings and congratulations and noted his appreciation for His Holiness’ leadership in promoting peace, reconciliation, and the common bonds of humanity around the world.”

Last month, the Pope included in a tweet the words “build back better,” a phrase that is central to Joe Biden’s plan to remake America in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

***

Honorable Joseph R. Biden
President of the United States of America
The White House
Washington, DC

“On the occasion of your inauguration as the forty-sixth President of the United States of America, I extend cordial good wishes and the assurance of my prayers that Almighty God will grant you wisdom and strength in the exercise of your high office. Under your leadership, may the American people continue to draw strength from the lofty political, ethical and religious values that have inspired the nation since its founding. At a time when the grave crises facing our human family call for farsighted and united responses, I pray that your decisions will be guided by a concern for building a society marked by authentic justice and freedom, together with unfailing respect for the rights and dignity of every person, especially the poor, the vulnerable and those who have no voice. I likewise ask God, the source of all wisdom and truth, to guide your efforts to foster understanding, reconciliation and peace within the United States and among the nations of the world in order to advance the universal common good. With these sentiments, I willingly invoke upon you and your family and the beloved American people an abundance of blessings.”

Pope Francis