VATICAN CITY (CNS): United States President-elect Barack Obama telephoned Pope Benedict XVI to thank the Pope for his message of congratulations on his election victory.
The Pope was one of the many world leaders Senator Obama has been contacting since his November 4 win.
The Vatican spokesman Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi confirmed to Catholic News Service on November 12 that the president-elect telephoned the Pope on November 11 “to thank the Pope for his telegram, his congratulations” on winning the US presidential election.
Further details about the call were not known, Fr Lombardi said.
Pope Benedict sent his congratulations on November 5, referring to the “historic occasion” of the election, marking the first time a black man has been elected president of the United States.
The press office for Senator Obama’s presidential transition team said all conversations with world leaders were private and no details would be released on this conversation or any conversation with world leaders.