Tipsheet

Blue-Check Liberals Weigh in on United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Denying Biden Communion

On Monday, outspoken liberals across the Twittersphere came out defending President Biden and attacking the Catholic church after news broke last week that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops are drafting new guidance that could deny pro-choice lawmakers the sacrament of Holy Communion.

This proposal could result in high-profile Catholic lawmakers, namely Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi, from receiving the sacrament due to their unwavering support of abortion. Their stance on this issue puts them at odds with the Church.

As we reported in 2019, Biden was allegedly denied communion at a Catholic church in South Carolina while on the campaign trail. We posed the question, “should this happen more often?” as his pro-choice stance has been common knowledge for years now. Now, it appears that a movement to bar pro-choice lawmakers from the sacrament could finally be on the horizon.

Since Friday, Twitter users came forward to express their disdain toward the USCCB’s actions to possibly deny Holy Communion to Biden and other notable, pro-choice, Catholic lawmakers. Some attacked the USCCB, some attacked the Catholic church entirely, and, of course, some attacked former President Trump.

“The View” covered the topic on Monday as well, with most of the hosts disagreeing with the USCCB’s decision to draft new guidance regarding the sacrament of Holy Communion, the primary argument being “separation of church and state.” Meghan McCain, conversely, offered a different stance.

“If you are a devout Catholic, as President Biden claims to be, abortion is a cardinal sin. It can do deep spiritual harm to you,” said McCain during the segment. “We have to, as pro-lifers, fight for the rights of the unborn and that is a doctrine that is as old as the Catholic church itself.”

McCain went a step further to explain how Biden’s position on the Hyde Amendment flipped in 2019. He previously supported the Hyde Amendment, which would ban federal money from funding abortions. He now opposes it.

During a recent press conference, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki took a question from a reporter inquiring about Biden’s reaction to the USCCB’s document clarifying who should receive communion. Psaki avoided the question, only describing Biden’s relationship with his faith. 

“Joe Biden is a strong man of faith,” said Psaki during the press conference. “The president’s faith is personal. It’s something that has helped guide him through some challenging moments in his life. And that’s how many Americans see their faith as well. Not through a political prism.” 

Watch the video of the question below:

The outcome of this USCCB conference could pave the way for priests to deny communion to pro-choice advocates like Biden and Pelosi going forward. As of right now, Pope Francis has remained silent on this specific issue.