President Joe Biden attended mass in Georgetown on Wednesday morning for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a holy day of obligat...
President Joe Biden attended mass in Georgetown on Wednesday morning for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a holy day of obligation for Catholics, ahead of his trip to Kansas City to promote his infrastructure law.
Biden arrived at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Georgetown shortly after 8 am, waving to a large group of children and adults outside. There is a school attached to the church. He stayed nearly an hour for the service.
The president, a devout Catholic, rarely misses a religious holiday. When he was in Rome for All Saints Day, he attended private mass at the Embassy, where he was staying.
Later Wednesday, Biden will head to Kansas City, Mo., to promote his infrastructure victory.
He'll visit the Kansas City Area Transport Authority where he'll tout the city's program for free bus and street car service.
President Joe Biden waves to school kids as he arrives at Holy Trinity Church in Georgetown
Biden is attending mass for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception
The president, a devout Catholic, regularly attends Mass in Washington or near his home in Wilmington, Delaware
President Biden attended mass ahead of his trip to Kansas City, Mo, to promote his infrastructure law
Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas hinted at what the president would discuss during his afternoon stop.
'Kansas City is a national leader in Zero Fare and Zero Emissions Transit. Growing up in KCMO riding the Metro bus, I am proud of the improvements we have made to get us to today and where we are going. We are excited to welcome President Biden to the KCATA,' Lucas tweeted on Tuesday.
Biden has been on a promotional tour to draw attention to his $1 trillion program to invest in infrastructure. He's also made stops in New Hampshire, Michigan and Minnesota.
White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said the Kansas City trip will demonstrate 'how the president is following through on his promise to forge bipartisan consensus and prove our democracy can deliver big wins for the American people.'
The White House is eager to promote the infrastructure law as part of the series of the president's accomplishments they are highlighting ahead of the 2022 midterm election.
Democrats are trying to fend off Republican attempts to take control of the House and Senate next year.
The White House also launched a new website, Build.gov, to describe the law and a new branding phrase, 'Building a Better America,' to promote it.
The White House launched a new website to promote the infrastucture law
Promotional campaign includes new slogan: Building a Better America
The White House invites people to share their stories
The site features an eye-catching new logo and invites people to share their story 'about how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will impact you and your community.'
Additionally, Biden is trying to get the Senate to pass his 'Build Back Better' social spending and climate change bill. It's unclear if he has the votes to do so.
The president, a devout Catholic, regularly attends Mass in Washington or near his home in Wilmington, Delaware. He carries rosary beads that belonged to his deceased son Beau and he keeps a photo of himself and the Pope behind his desk in the Oval Office in the first row of pictures next to ones with his family.
Biden, who supports abortion rights, met with Pope Francis at Vatican City in late October, when he was in Rome for the G20 conference.
The president said the pope told him he's a 'good Catholic' and that the two men did not discuss the controverial issue of abortion during their 75-minute sit down behind the closed doors of the Vatican.
He also said the pope told him to keep receiving communion.
'We just talked about the fact he was happy that I was a good Catholic and I should keep receiving communion,' Biden said after the meeting.
Biden met with the pontiff amid pressure from conservative Catholics in the United States about his abortion stance.
The U.S. Conference of Bishops was weighing whether to admonish Catholic politicians like Biden and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who support a woman's right to an abortion - which Catholics consider a sin - yet also take Holy Communion at mass.
President Biden and Pope Francis with their translators at their private meeting at the Vatican in October
Ultimately the bishops adopted a document that does not mention the president or any politicians by name.
Instead the new guidance emphasizes the obligation of Catholic public figures to demonstrate moral consistency between their personal faith and their public actions.
'Lay people who exercise some form of public authority' have a duty to 'serve the human family by upholding human life and dignity,' the document states.
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