President Joe Biden told reporters that Pope Francis encouraged him to “keep receiving communion.”
The two leaders met Friday at the Vatican. Some conservative Catholics have argued that Biden’s stance on abortion is inconsistent with the Church’s teachings and therefore he should be denied the holy sacrament.
But Biden said he did not discuss abortion with the pontiff. He added, “we just talked about the fact he was happy that I was a good Catholic and I should keep receiving communion.”
Bloomberg provides context:
Conservative U.S. bishops voted in June to draft guidance on the Eucharist, or holy communion, that could be used as justification to deny the rite to Biden and other liberal politicians. The bishops have indicated the document, which will be considered at a meeting in November, will not mention Biden, though it still could make a clear political statement.
Priests can make their own decisions about denying the Eucharist, as one South Carolina priest did when Biden attended mass at his church while on the campaign trail in 2019.
Pope Francis has criticized the effort to deny politicians communion, warning priests to avoid partisan rancor.
“The concern in the Vatican is not to use access to the Eucharist as a political weapon,” said Antonio Spadaro, a Jesuit priest and close ally of Francis, to The New York Times.
But Pope Francis is also vehemently anti-abortion.
“If you have an abortion, you kill,” Francis said in September. “That’s why the church is so tough on this issue, because if you accept this, you accept homicide daily.”
Reuters adds:
The president, who goes to weekly Mass regularly and keeps a picture of the pope behind his desk in the Oval Office, has said he is personally opposed to abortion but cannot impose his views as an elected leader.
