Pope Francis and Joe Biden had a phone conversation on Thursday in which the pontiff congratulated Biden for winning the White House.

The Biden transition office said in a statement: “The president-elect thanked His Holiness for extending blessings and congratulations and noted his appreciation for His Holiness' leadership in promoting peace, reconciliation, and the common bonds of humanity around the world,”

The team added: “The president-elect expressed his desire to work together on the basis of a shared belief in the dignity and equality of all humankind on issues such as caring for the marginalised and the poor, addressing the crisis of climate change, and welcoming and integrating immigrants and refugees into our communities.”

Biden will be the first Catholic president the United States has had since John F Kennedy.

Meanwhile, a coalition of federal and state officials said they have no evidence that votes were compromised or altered in last week's presidential election.

The statement from cybersecurity experts, which trumpeted the 3rd November election as the most secure in American history, amounted to the most direct repudiation to date of President Donald Trump's efforts to undermine the integrity of the contest with unsubstantiated claims of widespread fraud.

It echoed repeated assertions by election experts and state officials that the election unfolded smoothly without broad irregularities.

The statement said: "While we know there are many unfounded claims and opportunities for misinformation about the process of our elections, we can assure you we have the utmost confidence in the security and integrity of our elections, and you should too.

"When you have questions, turn to elections officials as trusted voices as they administer elections."