John F. Kennedy

The 46th president of the United States along with fellow Catholics and other people of goodwill began the latest chapter in the nation's political history with a Mass ahead of the presidential inauguration.

Pope Francis prayed that President Joe Biden would work to heal the divisions in U.S. society and promote human dignity and peace around the globe.

The Rev. Kevin O’Brien said: As you live out this mission as servant leaders, I also remind you of the Lord’s promise ... "The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. .... Then the God of peace will be with you."

In the roughly 48-hour period of Joe Biden's inaugural events, there will be no shortage of Catholic signs and symbolism. Some were already on display upon Biden’s arrival in the nation's capital Jan. 19.   

Faith Seeking Understanding: The government is not intended to prioritize "individual liberties" over communal flourishing, as so many right-leaning Americans wish, nor is the state intended by the church's teaching to be a hegemonic force for sectarian norms and partisan preferences.

Distinctly Catholic: The day of Biden's inauguration will also be the 60th anniversary of the first time a Catholic became president. Much has changed in church and state. What, then, is the value of historical analogy?

Democrat Joe Biden became the second Catholic elected president Nov. 3, outpolling Donald Trump by calling for national unity and determination to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic.

Editorial: The election of a churchgoing, rosary-carrying Catholic as U.S. president, only the second Catholic elected to the office, would itself be historic in a normal year. But 2020 has not been a normal year.