Voting June 18 [168-55] to draft a “teaching document” that denies holy communion to Catholics that support abortion, the document must be ratified by two-thirds of Catholic bishops inside and outside the U.S. plus ratification by Pope Francis, a tall order to fill. Clearly the conservative U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has a substantial number of anti-abortion leaning Republicans, turning the abortion issue into a political football. President Joe Biden, 78, a practicing Catholic currently receives communion including the Eucharist, taking the symbolic body-and-blood of Jesus Christ, would be denied communion if the measure gains widespread support among bishops outside the United States. Bishops debated the abortion issue Thursday, June 17, then voted on the “teaching document” June 18. Several Catholic authorities thought the measure was designed to deny communion to liberal Catholic politicians.
Madison, Wisconsin Bishop Donald Hying said Bishops seems confused by the issue whether USCCB’s can prevent politicians who support and advocate for abortion from receiving holy communion. “The most radical pro-abortion agenda in history, Hying said, referring to Biden’s White House policy on abortion. “They’re [U.S. Catholic bishops] looking for direction,” Hying, not realizing his conservative political views. But with all U.S. presidents, starting with the first Catholic President John F. Kennedy, the matter of church-and-state was settled in Kennedy’s eloquent Sept. 12, 1960 speech to Protestant Ministers in Houston, Texas. Kennedy set the record straight, that “he was not the Catholic candidate running for president, he was the Democratic Party’s candidate who happened to be Catholic.” Today, the same rules about separation-of-church-and-state apply.
Whatever machinations Catholic Bishops go through at their own conference, it doesn’t apply to U.S. politicians that must follow the Constitution’s Separation Clause, stating clearly a wall exists between church-and-state. Whether Biden supports the Democrat Party’s policy on abortion has no bearing on his deeply held religious views. Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego said the USCCB vote would suffer “destructive consequences,” trying to dictate whether or not U.S. politicians supporting abortion should be denied Holy Communion. “It would be impossible to prevent the weaponization of the Eucharist,” McElroy said. McElroy believes that denying U.S. politicians the Holy Communion based on their views on abortion as elected officials would hinder their ability to discus issues like poverty, racism and the environment. Biden, who attends mass regularly, was asked about the USCCB vote.
Biden was asked to comment on The USCCB vote, potentially denying him Holy Communion if two-thirds of Catholic bishops worldwide vote to approve the “teaching document.” “That’s a private matter, and I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Biden said, not elaborating the Separation Clause. Biden could have said there’s no conflict whatsoever with Catholic doctrine because he doesn’t speak for Catholics as president of the United States. Bishop Kevin Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, home to Notre Dame University, chairman of the doctrine committee, said that nothing has been decided even with Friday’s vote. Rhoades said the U.S. Catholic bishops will be allowed to modify any language in the “teaching document” before it even goes to the USCCB doctrine committee in November, before a formal documents is recommended to a full worldwide vote before ratified by the Vatican.
Washington D.C.’s Cardinal William Gregory said the President Biden would be welcomed to receive holy communion regardless of the teaching documents vote. He confirmed there’s a long way before any final draft is completed, most likely not denying any politicians whose political views favor abortion. “The choice before us at this moment,” Gregory said at Thursday’s debate. “Is either we pursue a path of strengthening unity among ourselves or settle for creating a document that will not bring unity but may very well further damage it,” Gregory said. Gregory was one of the 70 bishops who signed the letter, including Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez, asking that bishops postpone the vote until bishops meet in person. Gregory’s request was denied with the Friday, June. 18 vote, attesting how conservative politics play inside the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Recent polling confirms that political divisions exist in the U.S. Catholic community. Pew’s survey found 56% of all U.S. Catholics said the abortion should be legal in most cases in the U.S. Pew’s survey found that 67% think Biden should receive communion during Mass. Pew’s study found that 55% of Republican Catholic said Biden should not be allowed to receive communion. Only 11% of Democrats said Biden should be denied communion. But the real issue of Separation-of-Church-and-State needs to be clarified by the USCB, saying that personal Catholic view are to be separated from elective office. “The more attention the bishops focus on the Communion question, the more the church will be perceived as being in the political fray, which risks driving some Catholics away,” said David Campbell, University of Notre Dame political science professor.
