US Catholic bishops may press Biden to stop taking Communion
April 28, 2021 8:58AM AKDT
FILE – In this Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021 file photo, President-elect Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, attend Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle during Inauguration Day ceremonies in Washington. When U.S. Catholic bishops hold their next national meeting in June 2021, they’ll be deciding whether to send a tougher-than-ever message to President Joe Biden and other Catholic politicians: Don’t partake of Communion if you persist in public advocacy of abortion rights. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
By DAVID CRARY AP National Writer
When U.S. Catholic bishops hold their next national meeting in June, they’ll be deciding whether to send a tougher-than-ever message to President Joe Biden and other Catholic politicians. The gist of that possible message: Don’t receive Communion if you persist in public advocacy of abortion rights. At issue is a document that will be prepared for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine. The aim is to clarify the church’s stance on an issue that has repeatedly vexed the bishops. It’s taken on new urgency now, in the eyes of many bishops, because Biden is the first Catholic to hold the presidency while openly supporting abortion rights.
