From the October issue of the Atlantic, an exhaustive profile of America’s most powerful Catholic politico, Vice President Joe Biden. WriterVice President Biden on Ash Wednesday Mark Bowden chronicles Biden’s ascendency to President Obama’s inner circle, highlighting his transformation over the last two years from gaffe prone wanna-be to trusted advisor and confidante.

The article doesn’t delve too deeply into Biden’s faith (there is but a brief reference to his questioning of it following the accident that killed his first wife and their daughter), but does offer some insight into what makes Biden tick, his reluctance to accept Obama’s offer, and his desire to remain “Joe” when home in Delaware.  Well worth a read for a better understanding of this Catholic public servant.

Michael J. O’Loughlin is national correspondent at America and author of Hidden Mercy: AIDS, Catholics, and the Untold Stories of Compassion in the Face of Fear.