Biden may face rebuke in Communion statement by Catholic bishops in US

WASHINGTON • A divided conference of Roman Catholic bishops in the US voted this past week to draft a statement on Holy Communion that may admonish Catholic politicians, including President Joe Biden, who support abortion rights.

The 168-55 decision to draft a teaching document on the Eucharist, a holy sacrament in the Roman Catholic faith, came after two hours of debate at the virtual assembly of the US Catholic Bishops' Conference on Thursday.

The bishops weighed the merits of reaffirming church teachings against the possibility of sowing partisan division. The debate laid bare some of the cultural and political rifts that have rocked the church in the last several years.

The bishops in favour of drafting the document insisted on Thursday that it would not call out any individual politician by name, but the topic of Mr Biden's social views came up repeatedly in the discussion.

Mr Biden, the second Catholic to serve as president of the United States, has alarmed many bishops by supporting same-sex marriage and abortion rights - views they say are antithetical to church doctrine.

Some bishops want to block politicians with views like Mr Biden's from receiving communion. But any statement would serve as guidance only, and individual bishops would be able to make an independent choice.

Asked on Friday if he was concerned by the bishops' decision and if he would be blocked from participating in Holy Communion, Mr Biden said: "That's a private matter and I don't think that's going to happen."

President Biden, who attends mass each weekend, has said he personally opposes abortion but supports a woman's right to choose. He did not keep a Hyde Amendment ban on federal funds for abortions in his first budget presented earlier this year.

Some bishops advocating for drafting the document have argued that they had an obligation to clarify the church's teachings for all Catholics in the light of inconsistencies in the faith and actions of public officials like Mr Biden.

Opponents said they feared writing the document could sow further partisan division within the church and that the bishops should take more time to discuss the issue before moving forward.

Sixty Catholic Democrats in the US House of Representatives released a statement on Friday urging the church not to deny elected officials communion over one issue.

The conference's Committee on Doctrine is now expected to draft the document ahead of a November meeting when the bishops will review an amendable draft.

REUTERS