This is a level of devotion to regular religious services not seen from recent presidents, who are said to be Christians, but who regularly attended church or worshiped alone while in office. Although Donald Trump has appeared several times at the Episcopal Church in West Palm Beach near his resort, and in various evangelical churches across the country, he is not in the habit of attending weekly church services.
Barack Obama would occasionally go to church for Christmas or Easter service in Washington or on holiday in Hawaii, but rarely later in the year. George W. Bush, though again a high-ranking Christian, sought to worship personally as president, only attending church when he returned home in Texas.
“For Osho, faith is both a personal devotion – he prays regularly, he goes to church, but it is public. He is proud to be a Catholic,” said Kevin O’Brien, a friend and spiritual adviser to Biden and his wife, Jill.
O’Brien, now president of the University of Santa Clara in California, met a Delaware senator a decade ago when he was heading the ministry on campus at Georgetown University. Biden regularly attended Mass at Georgetown Church or nearby Holy Trinity Church, while in Washington, where he served as vice president for eight years, with some around him saying he would continue as president.
“Joe’s faith is not a part of who he is,” said Sen. Chris Coons, a Democrat and Dean’s friend. “It’s the foundation of who he is.”
Catholic culture
Catholicism is a way of life for Pitton. He attended Catholic schools and married his first wife, Nilia, in a Catholic church. He learned his political discourse at school with scriptures, Catholic hymns and references to nuns and priests. Biden is more tied to his political message during the 2020 campaign than any other time in his public life. He designed himself as a rising candidate for morality and ethics, fought for the soul of America, and called on the nation to “begin the work that God and history have called us to do.”
But this is more than just a cultural identity of a 78-year-old president-elect. Since childhood, Biden Mass has been a regular.He often worships with family members, often attending with some of his grandchildren.
While touring the country during his presidential campaign, Biden would quietly slip into the local Catholic church for Mass – often arriving a few minutes late or leaving a few minutes early, to avoid an emergency. He attended Mass daily on Election Day at his church in Wilmington, Delaware.
On the day Biden took over as vice president in 2009, he asked O’Brien to lead a private mass in Georgetown. Four years later, O’Brien held another Mass before his second inauguration, this time at the Vice President’s residence. (O’Brien told CNN that he was unaware of any plans for another private mass before Biden became president.)
The pastor reflected how important these services were to the Catholic faith and ritual, especially during the two happiest days of his life. But his faith in Christ and his devotion to the church encouraged Biden in the fewest moments.
The most famous of them are Nilia and her daughter Naomi, who died in a car accident decades later, when her son Pew died of cancer. The president-elect, who regularly wears his late son’s rosary on his wrist, has spoken publicly about the role his faith played in mourning him.
A Catholic in the White House
In 1960 John F. In the run-up to Kennedy’s election, there was still a debate over whether Catholic elected officials could take their guidance from Rome and the Pope instead of the U.S. Constitution.
Since then, Biden’s religious connection to Catholic American public life has been linked to another point in his biography. The last three speakers of the council are Catholics, the majority judges in the Supreme Court. Biden was the first Catholic to serve as vice president.
Although American Catholics initially found a home in the Democratic Party, they are now a politically diverse group, especially as the Republicans have adopted positions on many social issues in line with the teachings of the Church. CNN exit polls suggest Catholics are almost equally divided, with 52% in favor of Pita and 47% with Trump. This is an improvement for Biden over Hillary Clinton’s performance with Catholics four years ago, when she lost 50% to 46% to Trump.
Among conservative Catholics in Washington, Fiden’s election has been greeted with caution and skepticism. His support for abortion rights and the Obama administration’s legal struggles with Catholic nonprofits in providing contraceptive protection are overwhelming.
Ashley McGuire, a senior member of the Conservative Catholic Association, said it was difficult to separate Fiden’s liberalism on abortion and contraception from how he views Catholics – especially because his campaign emphasized his faith.
“This is even more highlighted where he conflicts with the church,” McGuire said.
“The most divisive issues for the people and the most divisive issues for the political left and political right and Catholics are the issues that the sector is going to be involved in,” McGuire said. “It was his action. He set a tone that marked the attack. It was unfortunate.”
O’Brien insists that Biden has always recognized the difference in his personal beliefs from his political career, even though he often informs the former.
“His faith is a reflection of his compassion and empathy, his commitment to the victims and his service to the country,” O’Brien said.