Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
JesuiticalJanuary 22, 2021
Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts as Biden's wife, Jill, holds the family Bible during his inauguration at the Capitol in Washington Jan. 20, 2021. (CNS photo/Kevin Lamarque, Reuters)

On Wednesday, Jan. 20, Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, only the second Catholic ever to hold the office.

Zac and Ashley are joined by Matt Malone, S.J., to discuss their reactions to President Biden’s inauguration—including the prayers offered by other Jesuits throughout the day. Father Malone is the editor in chief of America, worked in politics before joining the Jesuits and brings a historical and personal eye to the events of the week.

We’re happy to report that Pope Francis, Pope Emeritus Benedict and guests at the Vatican’s homeless shelter all received a vaccine for Covid-19, even as the Catholic Church, like the rest of the world, continues to lose leaders to the virus.

Please consider supporting the show by subscribing to America, or by pledging on our Patreon page.

Links from the show:

Pope Francis sends greeting to President Biden, contrasting with sharper message from head of U.S. bishops
Joe Biden begins Inauguration Day with Mass
Read: The Invocation at the Inauguration of President Joe Biden
Joe Biden knows the grief of losing family—and how our pain can have a purpose.
Watch: Matt Malone, S.J., interviews Joe Biden

What’s on tap?

Cape Codder: Vodka and cranberry juice.

We don’t have comments turned on everywhere anymore. We have recently relaunched the commenting experience at America and are aiming for a more focused commenting experience with better moderation by opening comments on a select number of articles each day.

But we still want your feedback. You can join the conversation about this article with us in social media on Twitter or Facebook, or in one of our Facebook discussion groups for various topics.

Or send us feedback on this article with one of the options below:

We welcome and read all letters to the editor but, due to the volume received, cannot guarantee a response.

In order to be considered for publication, letters should be brief (around 200 words or less) and include the author’s name and geographic location. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

We open comments only on select articles so that we can provide a focused and well-moderated discussion on interesting topics. If you think this article provides the opportunity for such a discussion, please let us know what you'd like to talk about, or what interesting question you think readers might want to respond to.

If we decide to open comments on this article, we will email you to let you know.

If you have a message for the author, we will do our best to pass it along. Note that if the article is from a wire service such as Catholic News Service, Religion News Service, or the Associated Press, we will not have direct contact information for the author. We cannot guarantee a response from any author.

We welcome any information that will help us improve the factual accuracy of this piece. Thank you.

Please consult our Contact Us page for other options to reach us.

City and state/province, or if outside Canada or the U.S., city and country. 
When you click submit, this article page will reload. You should see a message at the top of the reloaded page confirming that your feedback has been received.

The latest from america

I use a motorized wheelchair and communication device because of my disability, cerebral palsy. Parishes were not prepared to accommodate my needs nor were they always willing to recognize my abilities.
Margaret Anne Mary MooreNovember 22, 2024
Nicole Scherzinger as ‘Norma Desmond’ and Hannah Yun Chamberlain as ‘Young Norma’ in “Sunset Blvd” on Broadway at the St. James Theatre (photo: Marc Brenner).
Age and its relationship to stardom is the animating subject of “Sunset Blvd,” “Tammy Faye” and “Death Becomes Her.”
Rob Weinert-KendtNovember 22, 2024
What separates “Bonhoeffer” from the myriad instructive Holocaust biographies and melodramas is its timing.
John AndersonNovember 22, 2024
“Wicked” arrives on a whirlwind of eager (and anxious) anticipation among fans of the musical.
John DoughertyNovember 22, 2024