President Joe Biden will meet with the Pope next week. White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced this last Friday. She said the president and Pope Francis would discuss how to work together to improve fundamental human dignity.
They will also discuss how to tackle the climate crisis, end the COVID pandemic, and care for the poor. However, worthy of note is Psaki did not mention how to extend that respect of human dignity to unborn children.
When President Joe Biden and Pope Francis meet on Friday, they will celebrate a shared outlook on some vital social issues like climate change. But Biden faces strong opposition from many U.S. Catholic bishops over his stances on abortion and LGBTQ rights. https://t.co/dzj8iI8aYe
— The Associated Press (@AP) October 23, 2021
Catholic Biden Doesn’t Share the Same Values as the Church
President Biden likes to parade himself as a devout Catholic. The media and his supporters also like to show him in that light too. However, his beliefs and values regarding abortion are fundamentally different from that of the Church.
btw joe biden, a practicing catholic, is in direct violation of all of pope francis' pronouncements
— ☀️👀 (@zei_squirrel) October 18, 2021
The president has been vocal in his support for abortion. Besides, he called on the US Supreme Court to protect abortion rights. He wants women to be able to kill their unborn children anytime they want.
The Church, on the other hand, says abortion is a sin. Besides, Pope Francis recently reaffirmed the position of the Church. In a statement last month, Pope Francis referred to abortion as homicide and murder.
He said having an abortion means killing a child. He further explained the Church is against abortion because accepting it means accepting homicide daily.
Besides, earlier in June, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) moved to draft a document to make pro-abortion Catholic figures undeserving of Communion. They stated their stance is against the teaching of the Church, and it causes the Church immense public scandal.
The document is likely to be discussed during their next meeting in November. If passed, people like Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi would not be able to participate in Communion.
The Pope Weighed In on the Move by USCCB
Pope Francis was asked about the debate in the US Catholic Church regarding if prominent Catholic figures and politicians are denied Communion over their pro-abortion stances. The Pope didn’t give a straight answer, as he noted he didn’t have enough information about the US case.
However, he reaffirmed abortion is homicide and the Church cannot give the Eucharist to anybody with different views from the Church. He explained someone who isn’t baptized or a Jew could not take the Eucharist. In light of this, someone not in Communion with the Catholic Church cannot take the Eucharist.
The Pope was also quick to add bishops and priests must not be political about the matter; instead, they should only respond pastorally. He finally added pastors should not condemn; instead, they should make their decisions based on compassion and tenderness.
It will be interesting to see if the Pope will speak to the president about how his stance on abortion contradicts the Church. If he does, Biden’s response will be fascinating to hear.
