WASHINGTON – All the distrust, vitriol and rancor stirred up during the 2016 presidential election campaign did not go away when votes were tallied.

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis has urged Donald Trump not to forget the poor and marginalized in his first comments on the President-elect to be published after the brash Republican’s stunning election win.

ROME – President-elect Donald Trump will uphold Christian values, a prominent U.S. cardinal has said.

A strong white evangelical, white Catholic and Mormon vote for Donald Trump belied the condemnation many religious leaders had leveled at the tycoon and paved the way for a stunning upset after a long and polarizing campaign.

WASHINGTON – Catholics voted once again for the winning presidential candidate in Tuesday’s election, as they have done in recent elections.

WASHINGTON – It's time to move beyond the polarizing presidential campaign so that the basic needs of the unemployed, the world's poor and the unborn can be addressed, said Catholics who consistently work with Congress and the White House.

WASHINGTON – Lay and religious leaders of all stripes reacted to news of Donald J. Trump's upset win in the Nov. 8 presidential election.

WASHINGTON – The Diocese of Amarillo, Texas, said in a statement it is investigating the incident of a pro-life priest who placed "the body of an aborted fetus" on an altar and broadcast it on Facebook Live to get people to vote for Republican Donald J. Trump, causing "the desecration of the altar."

VATICAN CITY – After Donald Trump pulled off what was for many a surprising victory in the United States election, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin offered his prayers that the new president-elect would promote peace in a world torn by conflict.

Some celebrated and congratulated the victor. Others prayed and called for unity. It was clear early on that evangelical Christians had been key to Donald Trump’s stunning upset.

ARLINGTON, VA – Following a tumultuous and divided election season, Catholics in the U.S. should find ways to create unity and healing, said Supreme Knight Carl Anderson of the Knights of Columbus.

WASHINGTON DC – A new poll released Friday shows Donald Trump winning the Catholic vote by 16 points – but is it an accurate prediction of how Catholics will vote next Tuesday?

SAN DIEGO – An insert and article in a San Diego parish's bulletin saying Catholics were going to hell if they voted for Hillary Clinton and claiming Clinton was influenced by Satan are inappropriate and do not reflect Catholic teaching or diocesan policies, said a spokesman for the San Diego Diocese.

At a recent event in New York City, Cardinal Timothy Dolan achieved somewhat of a coup when he cajoled Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton to set aside their obvious enmity and, in a private moment, pray together. A day earlier they had refused to even shake hands at a presidential debate. Yet at Dolan’s request the candidates agreed to pray, and afterwards they briefly hid their snarls and traded polite banter, creating what Dolan called a “touching moment.”

American voters are being encouraged by their bishops to weigh the issues and candidates carefully as the United States goes to the polls Nov. 8 following a bitter and divisive presidential election campaign.