{"id":519308,"date":"2021-05-17T20:50:10","date_gmt":"2021-05-18T00:50:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=519308"},"modified":"2021-05-17T20:50:19","modified_gmt":"2021-05-18T00:50:19","slug":"should-priests-deny-biden-communion-theologians-weigh-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/should-priests-deny-biden-communion-theologians-weigh-in\/","title":{"rendered":"Should Priests Deny Biden Communion? Theologians Weigh in"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fshould-priests-deny-biden-communion-theologians-weigh-in%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=519308&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><ul>\n<li><strong>President Joe Biden has drawn criticism for receiving Communion at Mass as a pro-abortion politician. <\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Traditional Catholic scholars warn that the president is causing great scandal by receiving Holy Communion, while progressive theologians protest that Church teaching is open to interpretation and say that abortion should not be a litmus test for Communion.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>\u201cMr. <span class=\"il\">Biden<\/span> openly and obstinately, in his public words and deeds, repudiates not only truths of nature, but the very faith that he professes to practice,\u201d Professor Chad Pecknold told the Daily Caller News Foundation. \u201cThis is enough to endanger the soul of Mr. <span class=\"il\">Biden<\/span>, but whenever he is allowed to improperly receive the Eucharist, he not only heaps further judgment upon himself, but bishops who permit this help him to do so.\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Feminist theologian Dr. Mary E. Hunt writes that it is \u201cabsurd\u201d for \u201cbishops to pronounce who among the laity is worthy to receive communion,\u201d adding, \u201cCommunion is not a litmus test of orthodoxy nor a prize for theological correctness.\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>President Joe Biden has drawn criticism for receiving Communion at Mass as a politician who promotes policies explicitly opposed to Catholic teaching.<\/p>\n<p>Traditional Catholic scholars warn that the president is causing great scandal by receiving Holy Communion, while progressive theologians protest that Church teaching is open to interpretation and say that abortion should not be a litmus test for Communion.<\/p>\n<p>The president has <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2020\/08\/07\/joe-biden-donald-trump-roman-catholic-church\/\">spoken about his Catholicism through his entire political career<\/a>, referring to his faith as a source of solace during turbulent times in his life. Biden exhibits many outward signs of his Catholicism: he frequently goes to mass, has met with Pope Francis, mentions praying the rosary and visits the cemetery where his family members are buried.<\/p>\n<p>Yet as soon as he became president, Biden immediately took action to fund and promote abortion \u2014 which the Catholic Church condemns as a \u201ccrime against human life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Biden\u2019s public stances on abortion previously prompted a priest to <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2019\/10\/29\/joe-biden-abortion-holy-communion\/\">deny<\/a> him Holy Communion during a 2019 Mass. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2019\/11\/26\/joe-biden-evolve-abortion-hyde-amendment\/\">(RELATED:\u00a0Here\u2019s How Joe Biden Has Evolved On Abortion As He Attempts To Become President)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cSadly, this past Sunday, I had to refuse Holy Communion to former Vice President Joe Biden,\u201d Father Robert E. Morey told the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scnow.com\/news\/local\/joe-biden-denied-holy-communion-at-florence-church\/article_4dfe451b-e181-5cdb-9da1-feae72795f0c.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Morning News<\/a>.\u00a0\u201cHoly Communion signifies we are one with God, each other and the Church. Our actions should reflect that. Any public figure who advocates for abortion places himself or herself outside of Church teaching.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The former Vice President later\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2019\/10\/29\/joe-biden-abortion-holy-communion\/\">refused<\/a> to discuss the incident, saying, \u201cthat\u2019s my personal life.\u201d <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/02\/02\/media-biden-devout-catholic-liberal-ideology\/\">(RELATED: Here\u2019s Why Media Calls Biden A \u2018Devout Catholic\u2019 According To Theologians, Commentators)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Catholic Church teaches that Catholics <a href=\"http:\/\/www.scborromeo.org\/ccc\/p2s2c1a3.htm\">may not receive Holy Communion<\/a> if they are \u201cconscious of a grave sin.\u201d Catholics who have committed any grave sins must make a good confession before they can receive, according to the Church.<\/p>\n<h3>Cordileone: Conversation First, Then Deny Communion<\/h3>\n<p>San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone warned pro-abortion Catholic public figures not to receive Communion at mass if they find that they \u201care unwilling or unable to abandon\u201d their \u201cadvocacy for abortion.\u201d He also told the Daily Caller News Foundation in an interview that clergy should have conversations with high profile pro-abortion politicians like Biden before denying them Holy Communion.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the case of President Biden or any other prominent Catholic, I think what I would do is if I knew that they were coming into the area here and planned to attend mass, I would try to have those conversations as well ahead of time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf we don\u2019t say anything, if we don\u2019t speak out, then we are also culpable,\u201d Cordileone told the DCNF. \u201cI tremble at the responsibility that God has given me \u2026 When it comes to pastoral application of church teaching, that\u2019s where pastoral discretion is needed, different judgements might be made by different bishops in different situations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut in the case of someone so prominent as the president of the United States, again this is a scandal, and it\u2019s causing confusion in the minds of our Catholics,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p><strong>WATCH:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Pelosi&#039;s Archbishop Explains: Can Catholics Support Abortion?\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8UHs6IkQTN0?start=571&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<h3>Progressive Theologians: \u2018Sometimes A Catholic Is Just A Catholic\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>Not all clergy agree with Cordileone. D.C. Archbishop Wilton Gregory previously <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2020\/11\/24\/archbishop-gregory-joe-biden-communion\/\">said he would not deny<\/a> Biden Communion at Mass in late November, and has not responded to requests for comment from the DCNF as to whether he stands by this statement.<\/p>\n<p>Other Catholic commentators suggest that \u201csometimes a Catholic is just a Catholic\u201d and that passing judgement on who may or may not receive Communion is hypocritical. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/01\/30\/devout-catholic-joe-biden-media-amy-coney-barrett\/\">(RELATED: \u2018Devout\u2019 Or \u2018Extreme\u2019: Media Treats Catholicism In Vastly Different Ways Depending On Politics)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cDeploying Communion as a bludgeon to selectively sanction elected officials on a single issue is not the answer,\u201d Faith in Public Life Catholic Program Director <a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2021\/05\/05\/politicizing-bidens-faith-is-pastoral-malpractice\/\">John Gehring wrote in response<\/a> to Cordileone\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/05\/03\/catholic-church-nancy-pelosi-joe-biden\/\">comments<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPoliticizing a sacrament is pastoral malpractice, whether directed against Republicans or Democrats,\u201d Gehring said. \u201cBut the glaring inconsistency and hypocrisy in the selective use of Communion denial makes it nearly impossible for pro-Trump church leaders to rebut criticism that their concerns are more partisan than theological. \u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy defining abortion as the definitive marker of Catholic identity in politics, the bishops risk marginalizing the church at a time when only the second Catholic president in history attends Mass every week and advocates for a policy agenda that in myriad ways aligns with Catholic social teaching,\u201d Gehring wrote.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/religiondispatches.org\/bishops-attempt-to-deny-communion-to-biden-will-backfire-even-more-spectacularly-than-opposition-to-same-sex-marriage\/?utm_source=rss\">Feminist theologian Dr. Mary E. Hunt wrote<\/a> that it is \u201cabsurd\u201d for \u201cbishops to pronounce who among the laity is worthy to receive communion.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCommunion is not a litmus test of orthodoxy nor a prize for theological correctness,\u201d writes Hunt, who is also co-director of the Women\u2019s Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual. \u201cIt is a simple way people get together to express gratitude amidst life\u2019s vicissitudes and to draw strength from companionship at the table and energy for justice struggles \u2026 To ensnare this simple act in theo-political red tape is to profane the Eucharist itself. Sigmund would agree that sometimes a rosary is just a rosary. Sometimes a Catholic is just a Catholic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hunt told the DCNF Monday afternoon that Catholic teaching on abortion has changed over time and noted that many Catholics object to Church teaching. The feminist theologian, who did not cite how Catholic teaching on abortion has changed, suggested that Catholic teaching on a number of issues is up for discussion.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwo things are at stake: is there only one Catholic teaching on a particular issue, and who decides what Catholic teaching is,\u201d Hunt told the DCNF. \u201cMany theologians, myself included, recognize a diversity and pluralism among committed Catholics on a range of issues.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor example, we do not say that those who favor the death penalty or are instrumental in applying it through the courts may not receive Communion,\u201d she said. \u201cLikewise, many theologians claim that the <em>sensus fidelium<\/em>, the views of the many and varied faithful Catholics, play a significant role in determining Catholic teachings, plural.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Other clergy like Jesuit James Martin, a frequent critic of former President Trump, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2021\/01\/20\/958905644\/a-jesuit-priest-on-how-faith-informs-bidens-leadership\">suggest<\/a>\u00a0that Biden\u2019s policies do not put him at odds with the church but merely present \u201ca different way of being Catholic.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Pecknold: Biden Misleading \u2018Catholics And Non-Catholics Alike About The Faith\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>But Dr. Chad Pecknold, an associate professor of Theology at the Catholic University of America, pointed out to the DCNF that Biden breaks with the Catholic Church on a number of points, specifically \u201con the dignity of human life in the womb, on the human person as male and female, on the nature of marriage and human sexuality, and on the freedom of the Church.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7193554\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" readability=\"39\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7193554\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-7193554 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1162219738-scaled-1.jpg\" alt srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1162219738-scaled-1.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1162219738-172x120.jpg 172w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1162219738-620x432-1.jpg 620w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1162219738-768x535-1.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1162219738-1536x1070-1.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1162219738-2048x1427-1.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\"  style=\"display:none\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-7193554\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">DES MOINES, IOWA \u2013 JULY 15: Democratic presidential candidate former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden pauses as he speaks during the AARP and The Des Moines Register Iowa Presidential Candidate Forum at Drake University on July 15, 2019 in Des Moines, Iowa. Twenty Democratic presidential candidates are participating in the forums that will feature four candidate per forum, to be held in cities across Iowa over five days. (Photo by Justin Sullivan\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Biden not only puts himself at odds with the Catholic Church by receiving Communion but also causes those who give him Communion to put themselves in jeopardy with the church, Pecknold said. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/05\/03\/catholic-church-nancy-pelosi-joe-biden\/\">(RELATED: Pelosi\u2019s Archbishop: Unwavering Pro-Abortion Catholics Must Be Denied Communion)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cMr. <span class=\"il\">Biden<\/span> openly and obstinately, in his public words and deeds, repudiates not only truths of nature, but the very faith that he professes to practice,\u201d the CUA professor told the DCNF. \u201cThis is enough to endanger the soul of Mr. <span class=\"il\">Biden<\/span>, but whenever he is allowed to improperly receive the Eucharist, he not only heaps further judgment upon himself, but bishops who permit this help him to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSuch public acts mislead Catholics and non-Catholics alike about the faith, and especially the nature of the Eucharist,\u201d Pecknold continued. \u201cThe bishops have a duty and an opportunity to teach the faith which Christ handed onto them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hope they do so for the benefit of the whole Church, the nation, and also for the eternal soul of Mr. <span class=\"il\">Biden,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The clergy are confronted by pro-abortion Catholic politicians in their Communion line, and make a decision whether or not to deny that politician.<\/p>\n<p>Shortly after the 2020 election, the DCNF asked several Washington, D.C., area priests if they would feel comfortable giving Biden communion. Most declined to comment, but Fr. Daniel Gee, pastor at St. Rita\u2019s Catholic Church in Alexandria, Virginia, told the DCNF that he would \u201cabsolutely not\u201d give Biden communion.\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/01\/20\/catholic-bishops-biden-abortion-gomez\/\">(RELATED: \u2018We Cannot Stay Silent\u2019 On Biden\u2019s Pro-Abortion Stances, Leading Catholic Bishop Says)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy would I consider someone who is so publicly opposed to the Church\u2019s teachings and so actively working against them to be in communion with us,\u201d Gee told the DCNF in November. \u201cHe is an enemy of the unborn and has flaunted the Church\u2019s teachings for the last 40 years. How dare he even present himself in the first place?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact <a href=\"mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Joe Biden has drawn criticism for receiving Communion at Mass as a pro-abortion politician. Traditional Catholic scholars warn that the president is causing great scandal by receiving Holy &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2278377,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1162219738-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"Should Priests Deny Biden Communion? Theologians Weigh in","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-519308","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1162219738-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"Should Priests Deny Biden Communion? Theologians Weigh in","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519308","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=519308"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519308\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2278377"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=519308"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=519308"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=519308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}