In a message of congratulations on Nov. 7, Pope Benedict XVI sent best wishes to President Barack Obama and assured him of his prayers “that God might assist him in his very great responsibility,” the Vatican said, and told the president he was praying that “the ideals of liberty and justice that guided the founders of the United States of America might continue to shine.” Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, likewise congratulated President Obama in a letter on Nov. 7. The bishops, he said, “offer our prayers that God will give you strength and wisdom to meet the difficult challenges that face America.” He added that the bishops pray that Obama will “help restore a sense of civility” and “that you will exercise your office to pursue the common good, especially in care of the most vulnerable among us, including the unborn, the poor, and the immigrant. We will continue to stand in defense of life, marriage and our first, most cherished liberty, religious freedom.”