Catholic bishops approve new communion guidelines for pro-abortion politicians

U.S. Catholic Bishops overwhelmingly approved a controversial teaching document on who should receive Holy Communion on Wednesday that many believe was intended for President Joe Biden and other Catholic politicians who support abortion rights .

But the document, adopted by a 222-to-8 vote at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops‘ meeting in Baltimore, makes no mention of Biden or any other politician, thus avoiding a more direct confrontation.

It seemed, however, to allow individual priests to deny communion to pro-abortion politicians if they encountered them.

“It is the special responsibility of the diocesan bishop to work to remedy situations involving public actions contrary to the visible communion of the Church and to the moral law,” the document would have indicated.

The vote is the culmination of a year-long debate between largely conservative U.S. bishops and the Vatican over whether punitive action should be taken against public officials who are at odds with the teaching of the Church on abortion.

Biden, only the country’s second Catholic president, who has declared his “personal” opinions a “private matter,” openly professed his faith throughout his political career – diligently attending Sunday Mass, infusing Scripture speeches and carrying his late son Beau Roselet de Biden.

After meeting last month with Pope Francis ahead of the G-20 summit, and amid criticism from conservative bishops, Biden said the Pope told him he should continue to take Communion and the Pope had him. described as a “good Catholic”.

Some bishops, however, see it differently, citing Biden’s vocal public support for abortion rights as one of the main reasons there is a need to clarify who can receive Communion.

Prominent Catholic politicians, including Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have generally been careful about where they attend Mass in order to avoid controversy.

While Cardinal Wilton Gregory of the Archdiocese of Washington has said he has no intention of refusing Biden’s Communion, he has publicly asked if the president is respecting the teachings of the Catholic Church on controversial issues. , especially abortion.

“The Catholic Church teaches, and has taught, that life – human life – begins at conception,” Gregory told reporters at the National Press Club in September. “So the president does not demonstrate Catholic teaching.

Although the document does not specifically mention Biden or other pro-abortion Catholic politicians, its intention is to severely reprimand individuals, especially officials, who show up for communion after breaking with church teaching. on fundamental issues.

In a draft of the document released before the conference, the bishops reportedly wrote “that there are certain sins, but which break the fellowship we share with God and the Church.”

“As the Church has always taught, a person who receives Holy Communion while in a state of mortal sin, not only does not receive the grace of the sacrament, but commits the sin of sacrilege by not showing the respect due to the Body and Blood of Christ “, indicates the document.

An official at the Bishops’ Conference insisted they remain true to their mission of upholding the teachings of the church, pointing to the conference’s outspoken disagreement with the Trump administration’s policies regarding undocumented migrants.

According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, many American Catholics are divided over whether Biden should be denied Communion because of his support for abortion rights.

A majority of American Catholic adults say Biden should be allowed to receive Communion during Mass, while nearly 30% say Biden should not be allowed to receive Communion.

The divide underscores a growing tension among American Catholics as to who they see as the true authority on matters of the faith and what they should believe.

“The American bishops and Pope Francis see it very differently,” said Massimo Faggioli, professor of theology at the University of Villanova. “For the first time in many decades, American Catholics must decide whether they want to follow Pope Francis or the American bishops, which is new, because American bishops are traditionally very Roman, loyal to the Pope.”