Can Joe Biden get the sacrament? There is a disagreement about this within the American Catholic Church. Conservative bishops prefer to exclude progressive advocates of abortion and euthanasia. The Vatican urges bishops not to rush things.
The American Episcopal Conference planned to approve a pastoral document on “eligibility to receive communion”. Its essence is that Catholic politicians who hold liberal views on “pro-life” issues, such as abortion and euthanasia, have lost the right to the sacrament.
Among them is Joe Biden. The US president categorically describes himself as a Catholic and defends what, according to official Church doctrine, is “a moral evil.”
The Vatican is now tempering the impulse of some conservative American bishops to fight this evil. In a letter dated May 7, the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Spanish Cardinal Luis Ladaria Ferrer, asked the conservative bishops not to make an immediate decision, but to take some intermediate steps.
Intermediate steps
The first: First, reach a consensus on your position. This is the position of the majority now. Second step: enroll in bishops’ conferences in other countries. The third step: to rethink what “moral evil” is. Not only is this found on conservative hot topics, such as abortion and euthanasia, but it also affects violations of the Church’s social dogma. Just bearing in mind what the traditional “pro-life” “Catholic” mind might be.
The latter clearly shows the hand of the incumbent Pope, Francis, who, after all, is taking a more moderate path and emphasizing social issues.
The Vatican message warns against the approval of the pastoral document. This contains “controversial content”. If so, Joe Biden may be rejected. The Vatican avoids such consequences. According to the letter, this would lead to a “disagreement” within the American Catholic Church.
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