There is a hot theological debate raging in the United States of America as to whether or not Joe Biden should receive the Holy Eucharist and be considered to be in Communion with the Catholic Church.
The reason is that Joe is using his position as President of the United States of America to promote genocidal-levels of abortion: not just in America but throughout the world. The media and politicians are happy to stoke the fires but there are 2 main Catholic positions.
Liberal Catholics think that Joe should receive the Holy Eucharist because he is a “devout Catholic” and because receiving Communion is “a personal matter.”
Conservative Catholics — pejoratively dubbed as “traditional” Catholics — follow the Catechism and the Canon of the Catholic Church. They believe a Catholic should be penitent when presenting themselves for Communion. (Centrist Catholics are less involved in this debate because they want both a Pro-Life Church and a forgiving, inclusive Church.)
Lamb
Several articles on this topic have caught my eye. First was “What lies at the heart of the battle over Biden and communion” by Christopher Lamb (The Tablet, 24 June 2021.) Lamb, who is a Vatican affairs reporter, curiously notes “abortion rights” without any caveat:
“Even if it does not mention any names, it is expected to implicitly reprimand Catholic politicians, such as President Joe Biden, who support abortion rights.”
He mentions the Catholic position:
“On the other hand, we have the belief that clear teaching guides who can and cannot receive Communion. The rules are black and white. If that makes it impossible for a politician to be a practising Catholic and to support abortion rights for women, then so be it.”
to immediately negate it so we can be “all-embracing and universal”!
“A Church of the “pure” runs counter to the definition of Catholicism as all-embracing and universal, and that faith is a journey where the starting point is not perfection.”
He goes on to imply that he has some specific knowledge of the Pope’s personal opinion on the matter!
“He [Pope Francis] wants the Church to pitch its tent among the messy realities of the world, and to build the Kingdom of God in the imperfect here and now, rather than to seek out islands of doctrinal purity.”
Lamb over represents the meaning of the sensible cautions sent by the Vatican through Archbishop Christophe Pierre and by doing so undermines their authority.
“We are not a Church of the perfect but a pilgrim church in need of the mercy offered generously by Christ.”
The cautions from the Vatican / the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith encourage the American Bishops to review all secular, religious and political consequences before considering a reprimand of any Head of State. I bet it would not go well for Catholics in China if the Church criticized Chairman Xi Jinping.
And Lamb finished with the outrageous question:
“Rather than Germany, isn’t the real threat to church unity coming from the Communion-denying bishops in the United States?”
Some of the American Bishops are looking to enforce existing parts of the Canon of the Catholic Church. Those are our rules.
O’Reilly
Then came “The Real Threat to American Catholicism” by Mollie Wilson O'Reilly (The Atlantic: June 27, 2021.) Sadly, the majority of Mollie’s argument pivoted on “whataboutisms” such as “What about Trump?” and “What about Bill Barr?”
“The fact that Trump is not a Catholic doesn’t make his policies any less a violation of human dignity. “
Her repeated comparisons highlight her severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome! Like Lamb, she goes on to suggest that the ‘worthy observation’ of the requirements for Communion is a ‘private matter.’
“The Church has many rules about what Catholics should or should not do to receive Communion worthily, but observing them is typically a private matter. Denying Communion to Biden or other public figures as a means of correcting their errors would be claiming the right to overrule their conscience.”
O’Reilly seems to believe that the Church may not “overrule” anyone’s individual conscience. She does not even consider that there can be a poorly informed conscience — or a complete lack of conscience!
O’Reilly repeatedly denigrates the American Bishops:
“But they [the American Bishops] are as diverse and divided as the rest of us Catholics, though they rarely admit it directly.”
“Disunity and disagreement are not the biggest obstacles to the Church’s moral leadership; unchallenged hypocrisy and blindness are.”
“In the aftermath of Trump, and of a deadly and demoralizing pandemic, I no longer look to America’s bishops expecting moral or ideological coherence.”
Then even links the American Bishops with her TDS and insults every single Trump-supporting Catholic — all in one sentence!
“They [American Bishops] have been particularly bad at reckoning honestly with the ugliness and devastation of President Trump’s four years in office and the scandal of Catholics who supported him.”
O’Reilly is correct saying every death is important, but she emphasizes 13 death penalties while avoiding the ~ 60 MILLION U.S. DEATHS from abortion since Roe v. Wade. She has lost all perspective — or is just partisan.
Lewis
The third article was “When pro-lifers fight, rather than unite” by Mike Lewis, editor of Where Peter Is. (Where Peter Is: June 23, 2021)
The first third of Lewis’ long article rails against the diversity he perceives in the Pro-Life Movement. His antipathy taints his more insightful comments on the Biden/USCCB issue which are buried deep in this essay. [Please reference my article on the energetic Pro-Life Movement: “The Human Rights Movement of Our Time.”]
Lewis used his view of the Pro-Life Movement to lead into the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and the question of Biden receiving Communion. He provided fascinating background information about a 2004 letter from (then) Cardinal Ratzinger to the USCCB via Cardinal McCarrick, who apparently selectively edited the letter before presenting it to the Bishops.
Lewis notes the relevant section of the Canon of the Catholic Church (Canon 915):
“Those who have been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to holy communion”
Late in the article he confirms his personal view:
“I have no interest in defending President Biden’s decision to receive communion while supporting policies that increase access to abortion and fund abortion procedures”
but then provides Biden the usual “out” through the ‘personal-decision’ option, adding that the Church should “propose, rather than impose”:
“The real question at stake is whether the decision should be left to individual Catholics, or if Church authorities should make the decision for them. Since the second Vatican Council, the approach of the Church, even before Francis became pope, has been to propose, rather than impose.”
“When someone is weak, a sinner, the approach of the Church is to accompany, to encourage, and to guide. While it might seem odd to describe the leader of the free world as weak, it seems that President Biden’s political evolution on the issue of abortion has been a manifestation of weakness.”
Lewis did remind us of the most important thing all of us should be doing for this situation:
“My prayer is for the restoration of his [Biden’s] conscience and confidence, and for a rediscovery of these principles he’s decided to ignore.”
Paulsen
A further article worth reading is about a case coming before the Supreme Court of the United States in the Fall which involves the original Roe v. Wade decision. The article highlights many of the fascinating legal questions involved. “Repudiating Roe (Part I): The Most Important Abortion Case in Thirty Years” by Michael Stokes Paulsen (Public Discourse: June 28, 2021.) Watch for Part II!
Serwach: Communion and the Holy Eucharist
A very helpful and simple article on this concept is “Who Gets Jesus? Meaning of Communion and Eucharist” by Joseph Serwach (The Catholic Way Home: Dec 7, 2019)
“Communion is the verb (being a part of Communion or being in Communion with the saints) while the Eucharist is the noun (the person of Jesus Christ).
Communion refers to the Sacrament of Holy Communion, celebrated at every Mass. Communion comes from the Latin word “communionem,’’ meaning “fellowship’’ or sharing something together. We are in communion as a community joining with God. We believe the Church is His Body and He is the head.”
Even some Catholics miss the subtleties here. When a Catholic receives the Holy Eucharist they receive the Body & Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. When we “go to Communion” we are in communion with the Saints and the Church as a whole. Serwach explains:
“Because of that belief in the Real Presence, taking this portion of the Bible literally, Catholics don’t believe anyone is ready and able to experience the Eucharist unprepared.”
St. John (The Bible): Penitence
The Biden debate reminded me of the story of Jesus and the Woman caught in Adultery.
“Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She replied, “No one, sir.”
Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, [and] from now on do not sin anymore.”
[John 8:10-11]
An essential component of receiving the Holy Eucharist / “going to Communion” is being penitent: that includes us doing our very best to “not sin anymore.” For many of us, that can be done privately. Biden openly supports genocide through abortion so it is nigh impossible for him to be truly penitent without doing something publicly to “not sin anymore.” That is on him.
God is forgiving if Biden’s extremism has arisen from some cognitive impairment or external manipulation. If it is indeed his own conscious decision, we must pray for his salvation. As Jesus said, it is not for us to condemn him (though we must still oppose abortion.) It does fall to the Magisterium to decide whether he may be “in Communion” with the Church while actively supporting the mass murder of innocents.
Forgive my paraphrasing of the Holy Father’s words:
“The Eucharist is not the reward of saints, but the bread of penitents.”
Dr. Kevin Hay.
Kevin is a UCD grad and a Family Doctor in rural Alberta, Canada.
You can follow him on Twitter @kevinhay77
Editor’s Note: We here at Catholic Arena would like to offer our sincere condolences to Mike Lewis on the recent loss of his sister, Katie. Please pray for Mike, Katie and the Lewis family.
Shocking.