Assessment: Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the archbishop of Washington, D.C., has not tried to stop Biden, a regular church-goer, from receiving communion …
Pope Francis met on Saturday with U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Catholic who has come under criticism from some bishops in the United States for her support for abortion rights.
Their meeting took place several weeks before Joe Biden is expected to meet the pope while the U.S. president is in Rome for talks between leaders of the Group of 20 major economies.
“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither [k]cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” Rev. 3:15-16
Biden, the second Catholic U.S. president, has said he is personally opposed to abortion but, as a politician, cannot impose his views. Pelosi, who has five children, has said she supports a woman’s right to choose.
Biden’s administration and Pelosi have urged judges to block a new Texas law which bars abortions from six weeks, saying it is unconstitutional. The ban was temporarily reinstated on Friday by a conservative-leaning appeals court.
The Catholic Church teaches that human life begins at the moment of conception and Biden and Pelosi have been criticised by conservative Catholic media and U.S. conservative bishops, some of whom say neither should be allowed to receive communion.
Last month the pope, asked about the U.S. communion debate, told reporters abortion is “murder”, even soon after conception, but appeared to criticise U.S. Catholic bishops for dealing with the issue in a political rather than pastoral way.
“Communion is not a prize for the perfect … communion is a gift, the presence of Jesus and his Church,” the pope said. Read More @ Thompson Reuters HERE
