WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) — The president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) congratulated Donald Trump on his election victory while also calling on Catholics to pray for the incoming president and all public leaders.
Archbishop Timothy Broglio issued a statement on Wednesday afternoon to President Trump on behalf of the U.S. Catholic hierarchy, congratulating him on his victory in the 2024 election.
“I congratulate President-elect Trump, as well as the national, state and local officials who campaigned to represent the people,” Broglio wrote. “Now, we move from campaigning to governing. We rejoice in our ability to transition peacefully from one government to the next.”
NEW: @USCCB head Archbishop Broglio congratulates @realDonaldTrump on victory & notes Church is not aligned with any party, so Her teachings “remain unchanged.”
He calls for prayers esp to Mary “the patroness of our nation” for Trump & for public leaders.https://t.co/YEeunY2qGU pic.twitter.com/0gYPrqbkyn
— Michael Haynes 🇻🇦 (@MLJHaynes) November 6, 2024
Broglio, who is serving as the president of the USCCB from 2022 to 2025 and also is the head of the U.S. Military Archdiocese, noted that the Catholic Church “is not aligned with any political party, and neither is the bishops’ conference.”
Therefore, aside from the winner of the presidential election or the composition of Congress, “the Church’s teachings remain unchanged, and we bishops look forward to working with the people’s elected representatives to advance the common good of all.”
Broglio urged that “(a)s Christians, and as Americans, we have the duty to treat each other with charity, respect, and civility, even if we may disagree on how to carry out matters of public policy.”
He also alluded to the highly topical issue of migration, something that Trump has promised to clamp down on swiftly, saying that “(a)s a Nation blessed with many gifts we must also be concerned for those outside our borders and eager to offer assistance to all.”
Broglio closed by calling on Americans to “pray for President-elect Trump, as well as all leaders in public life, that they may rise to meet the responsibilities entrusted to them as they serve our country and those whom they represent.”
“Let us ask for the intercession of our Blessed Mother, the patroness of our nation, that she guide to uphold the common good of all and promote the dignity of the human person, especially the most vulnerable among us, including the unborn, the poor, the stranger, the elderly and infirm, and migrants,” Broglio closed.
The USCCB president’s statement came a day after the election, much quicker than in 2020 when the USCCB issued a statement four days after voters went to the polls.
Trump has often used Catholic imagery in his campaign of late. Posting on social media, his official account has highlighted St. Michael’s feast, wished Mary “Happy Birthday” on the Feast of her Nativity on September 8, and he has also received gifts of a St Michael statue, a scapular, and an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
READ: Donald Trump tells Raymond Arroyo: ‘I like the Catholic Church a lot’
Speaking to EWTN’s Raymond Arroyo at the 2024 Al Smith Dinner, Trump said he likes “the Catholic Church a lot” and that he has “a special relationship with the Catholic Church.”
He also downplayed the idea that there is a deeper meaning to his promotion of Catholic imagery, saying that “it’s just beautiful to me. I mean, I look at the whole thing, the words and the pictures. The pictures are so beautiful.”
However, in his victory speech from Florida early this morning, Trump referenced the intense speculation that there was divine intervention in his failed assassination attempt, commenting that “many people have told me that God spared my life for a reason, and that reason was to save our country and restore America to greatness.”
FLORIDA: Referencing the failed assassination attempt against him, Trump @realDonaldTrump says “many people have told me that God spared my life for a reason – to save our country & restore America to greatness.” pic.twitter.com/qfdEZuj01T
— Michael Haynes 🇻🇦 (@MLJHaynes) November 6, 2024
The Catholic vote was indeed significant for Trump. The Washington Post’s exit poll suggested Trump received 56 percent of the Catholic vote compared with Kamala Harris’ 41 percent.
However, Trump remains a champion of issues that stray from Catholic teaching, notably on homosexual “marriage” and supporting in vitro fertilization.