US bishops could deny Joe Biden the rite of holy communion over clash on abortion views
- Holy communion is a sacred ritual in the Catholic Church. There have been calls from church leaders to deny the sacrament to politicians who support abortion
- Biden, a devout Catholic who attends Mass at least once a week, supports the 1973 US Supreme Court decision affirming a woman’s right to an abortion
Biden, 78, a devout Catholic who attends Mass at least once a week, supports the landmark 1973 US Supreme Court decision affirming a woman’s right to an abortion.
Catholic bishops, defying appeals from the Vatican, voted at their spring general assembly to draft a formal statement on the “meaning of the Eucharist in the life of the Church”.
It was approved by a vote of 168 for to 55 against with six abstentions and the statement will be discussed at their next meeting in November.
The Eucharist, also known as holy communion, is among the most sacred rituals in the Catholic Church and there have been calls from some conservative church leaders to deny the sacrament to politicians who support abortion rights.
At a press conference on Thursday, Bishop Kevin Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, said the committee drafting the statement “will be looking at that whole issue of Eucharistic consistency”.
“That is not the task of our committee, to look at individuals,” Rhoades said.