Catholic bishops are attempting to ban pro-choice politicians (including President Joe Biden) from receiving Holy Communion by rewriting the definition of the holy rite.
This week, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) voted 165-55 to start drafting a new definition of communion. The working document will be subject to amendment and debate until November, when the group will convene for a final vote.
The USCCB’s plans to restrict communion are not supported by Pope Francis, who urged the group to ‘preserve unity’ and avoid using the Eucharist as a political weapon.
President Biden is the second Catholic president in US history following John F. Kennedy and his views on abortion, contraception, gay rights, and gender identity make him unpopular with some Catholic leaders.
“Many bishops feel threatened by Biden’s thoughtful approach to his faith, in which he makes a distinction between his personal moral code and his obligations as a leader,” writes Celia Viggo Wexler, a Catholic and a feminist. “The bishops posturing is also unnecessary,” she adds, because they already have the ability to deny Biden communion.
The USCCB does not have the authority to establish national policies without approval from Pope Francis, but its members could cause major harm by excluding pro-choice leaders from communion.
“Fully half the Catholics in the US will see this action as partisan in nature, and it will bring the terrible partisan divisions that have plagued our nation into the very act of worship that is intended by God to cause and signify our oneness,” argues Robert McElroy, bishop of San Diego.
The Catholic leaders closest to Biden – Cardinal Wilton Gregory of Washington, DC and Bishop W. Francis Malooly of Wilmington, DE – believe he should be allowed to receive Holy Communion.
Author’s Note: This is not about abortion. This is about a group of bishops who fear they have lost control of the Church now that a progressive Catholic is president.
By giving themselves the ability to shun any Catholic who breaks from traditional views, they believe they can restore their authority in the Church.
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