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Church-Going Catholics Know What Too Many Do Not: Why Pro-Abortion Politicians Should Not Receive Communion

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  June 17, 2021 10:00 PM

For far too long we've heard how Joe Biden is a "devout" Catholic. Now that he's president, we're also reminded of how he's only the second Catholic president we've ever had. And, we've been increasingly warned about how "conservative" bishops with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) are meeting to deny the president the blessed sacrament of Holy Communion. 

Regardless of what the mainstream media says or doesn't say about the issue, a poll from CatholicVote with church-going Catholic respondents is promising. The poll was conducted June 1-June 8, with 600 respondents and a margin of error of plus or minus 4. 

Catholic respondents, who are broken down by attending Church weekly or monthly, agree on the importance of addressing this issue:

  • 88 percent believe it is important for "Catholic bishops to teach and lead others in matters of the faith, including those who are public officials and other people in influential or powerful positions."
  • 87 percent believe it is important for "Catholic bishops to teach and lead others in matters of the faith, including those who may disagree with the Church on fundamental issues."
  • 79 percent believe "A Catholic bishop is failing to do his job as a bishop if he doesn’t speak up about grave moral evils."
  • 87 percent believe "A Catholic bishop should defend the teachings of the Church, even if some Catholics might disagree with them."
  • 85 percent believe "Catholic bishops should speak out when a powerful Catholic publicly advocates for a grave moral evil."
  • 72 percent believe "Catholic bishops should discuss whether it’s appropriate for Catholic public officials who promote grave moral evils, whether they are Democrat or Republican to present themselves for communion."
  • 84 percent believe "It’s hypocritical of any politician to campaign on their faith to get votes and then strongly advocate for policies completely contrary to their faith once in office."
  • 82 percent believe "Public officials who identify as Catholic but openly advocate for policies hostile to Church teaching are hypocritical."
  • 83 percent believe "Catholic public officials who disagree with their Church on serious or grave matters, create confusion and disunity."
  • 74 percent believe "Catholic public officials who disagree with their Church on serious or grave matters, should avoid creating confusion and disunity by not presenting themselves for communion."

"Catholic politicians who advocate for policies considered ‘gravely immoral’ create confusion and discord among believers," said Brian Burch, president of CatholicVote, about the poll. “Catholics’ concern about the flouting of Catholic social teaching by public leaders is less about politics and more about the integrity of the faith, along with reverence and respect due the Holy Eucharist.  This polling data should bolster the confidence of Catholic bishops as they prepare to discuss how to recover an understanding of the beauty and richness of the sacrament – among all Catholics.  The data is very clear: Bishops have an obligation to act."

Nevertheless, in order for more people to not be led astray, the mainstream media must be corrected yet again.

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On Wednesday morning, Alex Gangitano reported for The Hill that "Bishops to debate banning communion for president."

The accurate story of what's going on is in the second paragraph, though. Emphasis is mine:

There will not be a formal vote on whether to deny Biden and other pro-abortion rights Catholic politicians communion on Wednesday, but the actions at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishop’s (USCCB) three-day June General Assembly could lead to such a vote.

Gangitano still presents the issue as one much simpler than it is in writing how it has to do "with some bishops eager to make an example of Biden and others warning this would weaponize the Holy Communion."

Interestingly, 56 percent of total respondents from that poll approve of Joe Biden's performance. And 51 percent of them voted for Biden. Would one say they are "eager to make an example of Biden?"

What is currently taking place is a regular meeting for the bishops, held virtually this time due to COVID-19. There are numerous other items to be considered on the agenda. 

In writing for America Magazine, Michael J. O'Loughlin notes that the bishops are expected to vote on at least nine agenda items during their virtual meeting. 

O'Loughlin laid out what is really at the heart of the issue on Wednesday in a comprehensive Twitter thread. 

On Wednesday, the bishops voted in favor of keeping time limits on the issue of whether to draft a teaching document on the Eucharist. 

On Thursday, the bishops spent two hours deliberating on that document and voted on the proposal. The results will be made public on Friday, as O'Loughlin wrote in another piece. He noted that several bishops "alluded" to Biden, with the situation the bishops face when it comes to the president being so publicly Catholic and pro-abortion.

Regardless of the ultimate document, there's no "eager[ness] to make an example" of public figures who are creating a scandal in leading others astray in the faith by making them think they can be Catholics in good standing who support abortion, especially the way Democrats like Biden and Pelosi do. Rather, that eagerness would be in lovingly but firmly reminding these Catholics of the ways of the Church's teaching. 

The Biden-Harris administration has proven to be the most pro-abortion one we've ever seen, and in only five months in office. 

The Hyde Amendment has passed every year with bipartisan support since 1976, with such support coming from Biden when he was a senator, and during the Obama administration, when he was vice president. Hyde Amendment protections were, purposefully left out of the American Rescue Plan which Biden signed into law, just as they have been purposefully left out of the $6 trillion budget proposal. Without such protections, American taxpayers will be forced to fund elective abortions. 

Two years ago this month, then-candidate Biden renounced his support for the Hyde Amendment, and only a day after he claimed he still supported it. The reason Biden as the lone holdout changed his tune was obvious, to score political points. 

Considering the Catholic Church is unequivocally against abortion and abundantly clear in that position, it's not hard to see why someone who is such a public figure and who claims to be a "devout" Catholic, while also supporting taxpayer-funded elective abortion, is creating a scandal in the Church. 

Back to the document, it will likely be what it's described as, a teaching document, so as to provide clarity. As O'Loughlin explained:

An outline of the proposed statement shows that a future statement may contain three sections. One would reiterate the church’s theological beliefs about the Eucharist while another would highlight the role the Eucharist plays in the life of the church. The third section appears to concern the contentious issue of restricting public figures who disagree with church teaching from receiving Communion. It is unlikely to name any political figures but could articulate guidelines about when a political leader may be denied Communion.

Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, which is Speaker Pelosi's home diocese, issued a pastoral letter on May 1 about the issue, "A Pastoral Letter on the Human Dignity of the Unborn, Holy Communion, and Catholics in Public Life."  

It's not merely that the issue of abortion needs clarity, but the sacredness of the Eucharist itself, and that the Church teaches it truly is transfigured into the body and blood of Jesus Christ. 

The poll above to do with church-going Catholics is promising news, but it's only one part of the story. 

As O'Loughlin also wrote:

Recent polls show the church’s teaching on the Eucharist—Catholics believe bread and wine are transformed into the actual body and blood of Christ—is not well understood by ordinary believers.

“In light of recent surveys, it is clear that there is a lack of understanding among many Catholics about the nature and meaning of the Eucharist,” the doctrine committee’s proposal states. While it did not appear to link to any studies, in 2019 a report from the Pew Research Center found that just half of U.S. Catholics understand the church’s teaching on the Eucharist. Last November, the bishops’ conference approved a three-year strategic plan aimed at better teaching the church’s beliefs about the Eucharist.

America magazine's Twitter account for Thursday was also full of explanatory articles from the outlet over the past few years about better understanding the Eucharist. 

It is true that a majority of Catholics do not subscribe to the Church's teaching on abortion and the sanctity of life. Many will point this that out when discussing the issue, which then gets picked up by mainstream media outlets as if that were the end of story. If anyone is "eager to" present something, it's not the bishops, but those who will raise such polling results to argue against the importance of the need to clarify about Holy Communion in such a way. 

But, that is why in fact it is all the more important for bishops to address the issue and provide clarity, not ignore it. After all, it is the bishop's role to look after and guide his flock, including and especially when it comes to Church teaching.