Catholic Archbishop: Joe Biden ‘Should Stop Calling Himself a Devout Catholic’
Joe Biden has repeatedly described himself as a “devout Catholic,” a phrase the media and White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki have also used to described the president. In a recent interview, Catholic Archbishop Joseph Naumann said President Biden’s unqualified support for abortion should disqualify him from using that label.
Speaking with the Catholic World Report, Kansas City Archbishop Joseph Naumann, who also serves as the chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said Biden should “stop defining himself as a devout Catholic” because his support for abortion is radically opposed to the Catholic Church’s long held position on the issue.
“The president should stop defining himself as a devout Catholic and acknowledge that his view on abortion is contrary to Catholic moral teaching,” Archbishop Naumann said.
“It would be a more honest approach from him to say he disagreed with his Church on this important issue and that he was acting contrary to Church teaching.
“When he says he is a devout Catholic, we bishops have the responsibility to correct him. Although people have given this president power and authority, he cannot define what it is to be a Catholic and what Catholic moral teaching is,” the archbishop added.
Archbishop Naumann went on to call out President Biden’s decision to rescind the Mexico City Policy, his plan to reinstate Title X funding for Planned Parenthood and support for ending the Hyde Amendment as especially problematic.
“What he is doing now is usurping the role of the bishops and confusing people. He’s declaring that he’s Catholic and is going to force people to support abortion through their tax dollars. The bishops need to correct him, as the president is acting contrary to the Catholic faith,” the archbishop stated.
Archbishop Naumann also noted that President Biden should not receive communion when he attends mass because of his view on abortion.
“I believe the president has the responsibility not to present himself for Holy Communion [because] President Biden doesn’t believe in the Church’s teachings on the sanctity of human life,” he said.
The archbishop’s declarations are reminiscent of the remarks made by Raymond Cardinal Burke last year who said that Biden is not a “Catholic in good standing.”
The 72-year-old Catholic cardinal is one of the 128 cardinal electors who are young enough to participate in the next papal conclave that will elect the next pope upon Pope Francis’ death or resignation.
Biden “is not a Catholic in good standing and he should not approach to receive Holy Communion…
“This is not a political statement, I don’t intend to get involved in recommending any candidate for office, but simply to state that a Catholic may not support abortion in any shape or form because it is one of the most grievous sins against human life, and has always been considered to be intrinsically evil and therefore to in any way support the act is a mortal sin,” Cardinal Burke said.
The USCCB exhorts Catholics to prioritize the issue of abortion above all other issues when choosing who to vote for.
In its document titled, “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” the USCCB states that “the threat of abortion remains [Catholic’s] preeminent priority because it directly attacks life itself, because it takes place within the sanctuary of the family, and because of the number of lives destroyed.”
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