The US Conference of Catholic Bishops has welcomed Joe Biden as the president-elect of the United States. He will be the second Catholic to hold office as the President, and the 46th President of the United States. The statement, released by President of the Conference Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, spoke of the "blessings of liberty" and how "Now is the time for our leaders to come together in a spirit of national unity". "We congratulate Mr. Biden and acknowledge that he joins the late President John F. Kennedy as the second United States president to profess the Catholic faith" The statement also congratulated Kamala D. Harris, vice-president elect of the United States, the first woman to hold this position. "We ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, patroness of this great nation, to intercede for us. May she help us to work together to fulfill the beautiful vision of America’s missionaries and founders — one nation under God, where the sanctity of every human life is defended and freedom of conscience and religion are guaranteed", said the statement. Biden's faith was apparent in his victory speech on Saturday night. "To everything there is a season: a time to build, a time to reap, and a time to sow and a time to heal," he said, quoting Ecclesiastes 3:1-3. "This is the time to heal in America", he added.