Ready To Make Nice

As of this morning, one notable common thread between the nation's chiefs of church and state: they're both Chicagoans.

In that light -- and hot off the wire -- the USCCB president Cardinal Francis George OMI has sent the following letter of congratulations to the POTUS-elect:

Dear President-elect Obama,

I write to you, in my capacity as President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, to express our congratulations on your historic election as President of the United States. The people of our country have entrusted you with a great responsibility. As Catholic Bishops, we offer our prayers that God give you strength and wisdom to meet the coming challenges.

Our country is confronting many uncertainties. We pray that you will use the powers of your office to meet them with a special concern to defend the most vulnerable among us and heal the divisions in our country and our world. We stand ready to work with you in defense and support of the life and dignity of every human person.

May God bless you and Vice President-elect Biden as you prepare to assume your duties in service to our country and its citizens.

Sincerely yours,


Francis Cardinal George, OMI
Archbishop of Chicago
President

A terse peace now, sure... but if Mike Pfleger gets tapped to pray the Inaugural, George's head will, in all likelihood, explode.

The uber-controversial, much-beloved -- and, earlier this year, temporarily suspended -- activist-pastor of the Windy City's St Sabina parish revealed in a preach last month that he and Obama remained in contact; the candidate phoned to warn the cleric that he was to be the subject of a Republican attack ad.

PHOTO: Getty

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