Before, during and after the Presidential Election in the United States of America in 2020, the issue of Joe Biden’s reception of the Eucharist became a controversial point amongst commentators from all sides.
Biden’s long term commitment to anti life policies including his support for the Iraq War and radical support for the most extreme abortion positions have put him at odds with faithful Catholics.
As the US Bishops prepare to debate whether or not to allow for anti life politicians like Biden and Nancy Pelosi to be publicly denied Communion, the Democrats appear to have been one ahead of the bishops, with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith immediately sending a letter which referred to such a move as ‘divisive’.
Cardinal Luis F. Ladaria, SJ., prefect of the CDF, wrote to Archbishop Gomez to warn against the move.
He warned that ‘such a policy, given its possibly contentious nature, could have the opposite effect and become a source of discord rather than unity within the episcopate and the larger Church in the United States’.
He then used the term ‘pro choice’, ‘agree as a Conference that support of pro-choice legislation is not compatible with Catholic teaching’. This was repeated by Vatican News, who wrote, ‘the CDF advised during the ad limina visits that the effective development of a policy in this area requires that dialogue occurs in two stages: first among the bishops themselves, and then between bishops and Catholic pro-choice politicians within their jurisdictions’.
The next part of the letter is reasonable:
They would then face the difficult task of discerning the best way forward for the church in the United States to witness to the grave moral responsibility of Catholic public officials to protect human life at all stages.
If it then decided to formulate a national policy on worthiness for communion, such a statement would need to express a true consensus of the bishops on the matter, while observing the prerequisite that any provisions of the Conference in this area would respect the rights of individual Ordinaries in their dioceses and the prerogatives of the Holy See.
Any statement of the conference regarding Catholic political leaders would best be framed within the broad context of worthiness for the reception of Holy Communion on the part of all the faithful, rather than only one category of Catholics, reflecting their obligation to conform their lives to the entire Gospel of Jesus Christ as they prepare to receive the sacrament.
It finishes by saying:
it would be misleading if such a statement were to give the impression that abortion and euthanasia alone constitute the only grave matters of Catholic moral and social teaching that demand the fullest level of accountability on the part of Catholics.
The last point is fair on the face of it, but the problem is that such a statement gives the impression that abortion and euthanasia do not constitute grave matters of Catholic moral and social teaching whatsoever.
The response of Nancy Pelosi shows that this is the case.
I think I can use my own judgment on that but I'm pleased with what the Vatican put out on that subject. Did you read that?
It basically says don't be divisive on the subject. Thank you.
Using the term ‘prochoice’ is the Vatican allowing the pro aborts to dictate the rules, how long until a Cardinal is then using the term ‘clump of cells’ for an unborn child?
Shocking.