Biden’s DC church says president won’t be denied Communion over abortion stance
A Washington, D.C., church attended by President Joe Biden says it will not deny him Communion despite a vote by U.S. Catholic bishops on the question.
“Holy Trinity Catholic Church will not deny the Eucharist to persons presenting themselves to receive it,” wrote the church in a statement.
In a 168-55 vote, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops decided June 18 to move forward with a proposal to deny Communion to politicians who support abortion rights, NPR reported.
Biden attended the Jesuit-run parish church in Georgetown as vice president and has resumed attending services since becoming president on Jan. 20, the National Catholic Reporter said.
In its statement, the church said its decision was in accord with the policies of Cardinal Wilton Gregory, its archbishop. Gregory also has said he will not deny Communion to Biden.
The statement also quotes Pope Francis, who said Communion should be viewed “not as a prize for the perfect, but as a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak.”
“None of us, whether we stand in the pews or behind the altar, is worthy to receive it,” the church statement reads. “The great gift of the Holy Eucharist is too sacred to be made a political issue.”
While the policy endorsed by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops doesn’t explicitly refer to Biden, the president came up repeatedly in debate over the position, NPR reported.
“We’ve never had a situation like this where the executive is a Catholic president opposed to the teaching of the church,” said Bishop Liam Cary of the Diocese of Baker in Oregon, according to the network.
Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, who leads the bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said he’s disturbed by Catholic officials who “flaunt their Catholicity,” NPR reported.
But Gregory, who suggested postponing further work on the policy, said the debate had “seriously weakened” the cause of advancing Catholic beliefs, the church’s statement said.
On June 21, the conference said “there will be no national policy on withholding Communion from politicians,” appearing to walk back the earlier discussions, the National Catholic Reporter said.
Biden has reversed several executive orders by President Donald Trump curbing abortion rights since becoming president.
“Reproductive rights are a constitutional right,” Biden said on abortion, Harper’s Bazaar reported. “And, in fact, every woman should have that right.”
This story was originally published June 29, 2021 at 10:44 AM with the headline "Biden’s DC church says president won’t be denied Communion over abortion stance."