Joe Biden said the pope called him a good Catholic. A U.S. archbishop doubts it
The day Joe Biden was inaugurated as only the second Roman Catholic to attain the White House, the head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops criticized the new president's support of"the continued injustice of abortion." Biden's presence in the Oval Office gave new life to the ongoing debate among bishops as to whether pro-choice Catholic politicians should be denied access to Holy Communion. The American bishops have clashed with Pope Francis himself over the issue.
Newsweek Contributing Editor for Religion Julia Duin spoke to Archbishop Cardileone about the intersection of religion and politics, and what to expect from the bishops' conference.Newsweek: When asked about his meeting with the pope, President Biden said,"We just talked about the fact he was happy that I was a good Catholic and I should keep receiving Communion." Would you agree that Biden is a"devout Catholic?"Of course that depends on what you mean by"devout.
You have said it's possible to exclude pro-choice Catholic politicians from the reception of Holy Communion; you wrote a pastoral letter last May explaining your reasoning. Do you intend to carry it out? This phrase comes from a document of the Latin American Bishops when they met in Aparecida, Brazil, in 2007. It was kind of a big summit for evangelization, how to proclaim the gospel in their part of the world. And the phrase comes from one section of that document, which speaks about legislators, heads of government and health care professionals, if they violate human dignity.
Well, obviously it is not very pleasant. But I have a lot of reflections on that. First of all, isn't this what our Lord promises in the gospel? He says quite clearly in the Gospel of St. John:"If the world hates you, know that it hated me first." He says, if we're persecuted for the sake of righteousness, we're supposed to rejoice. So, this is very biblical.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
US Catholic bishops may dodge rebuke of Biden over abortionSome Catholic bishops in the U.S. have said they would deny Communion to President Joe Biden for his support of abortion rights. But the bishops' national conference appears likely to avoid direct criticism of Biden.
Read more »
US Catholic bishops may dodge rebuke of Biden over abortionSome Catholic bishops in the United States are persisting with criticism of President Joe Biden for his support of abortion rights
Read more »
Iowa Poll: In a potential 2024 match, Donald Trump leads Joe Biden by double digitsIn the hypothetical 2024 rematch, former President Donald Trump leads President Joe Biden 51% to 40% — a margin that exceeds his 8-point 2020 Iowa win.
Read more »
Historic Enablers of Sexual Abuse Debate Whether Joe Biden Can Get CommunionThe U.S. Roman Catholic Bishops will vote this week on whether President Biden, who supports abortion rights, can take Holy Communion.
Read more »
Enes Kanter Challenges Joe Biden On China, 'Stop Playing Games W/ Bullies'Celtics C Enes Kanter has a message for Joe Biden before his virtual meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping ... 'stop playing games with bullies' and 'prioritize human rights!'
Read more »