Biden on being denied communion: 'I'm a practicing Catholic, I practice my faith'
Category: News & Politics
Via: sister-mary-agnes-ample-bottom • 5 years ago • 57 commentsBy: Vandana Rambaran
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Former Vice President and 2020 presidential candidateJoe Biden refused to confirm reports that he was denied Communion at a South Carolina church on Sunday because of his stance on abortion, referring to the incident as his "personal life."
"I'm not going to discuss that," Biden told MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell in an on-air phone interview on Tuesday.
Biden and his wife attended Mass at the St. Anthony Catholic Church in Florence during a campaign stop, but he was reportedly denied Holy Communion, the practice of imbibing bread and wine (which Catholics believe represent the body and blood of Jesus Christ), after the pastor took issue with Biden's support of women's right to an abortion.
"Sadly, this past Sunday, I had to refuse Holy Communion to former Vice President Joe Biden," Rev. Robert Morey said in a statement on Monday. "Holy 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. As a priest, it is my responsibility to minister to those souls entrusted to my care, and I must do so even in the most difficult situations. I will keep Mr. Biden in my prayers."
Biden, who earlier this year condemned state legislation across the country that barred women from having the procedure, said: "I'm a practicing Catholic. I practice my faith, but I've never let my religious beliefs, which I accept based on Church doctrine ... impose ... on other people."
Biden faced backlash on the campaign trail in June from rival 2020 Democrats who criticized his previous support as a senator for the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of federal funds to subsidize abortions except for cases of rape, incest or when a woman's life is endangered by a fetus -- a notion some of his campaign rivals fear has a disproportionate impact on minority communities.
Biden reversed his stance on the controversial piece of legislation, saying he "can no longer support an amendment that makes" a woman's right to an abortion "dependent on someone's ZIP code."
Biden isn't the first lawmaker who faced pushback from the Catholic Church because of conflicting political and religious beliefs.
Former Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., faced a similar denial of Communion when campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 because of his stance on abortion rights.
I hope Rev. Morey is practicing the same values with all members of his congregation. That would include calling the press and making a public statement every time he chose to sit in judgment on one of his parishioners.
It's common for Priest's to deny Communion as well as for Bishop's who have demanded that politicians who defend abortion be denied Communion. Abortion is contrary to Catholic Doctrine, it's that simple. Perhaps if Biden had attended Mass in a non-election year he might have already known.
Joe and Jill Biden are Catholics in good standing who attend mass religiously at their local parishs in both Delaware and DC most Sundays. Have you no shame? Do you not feel any responsibility for you spreading lies, slanders or rank misinformation to your fellow Americans?
Or, has the damn gop now gone so full blown rabid under the evil spell of Trumpism that we are now in a New McCarthy Era where anyone and anything is fair game to y'all now? I certainly hope not for the security of our sacred republic because we already survived that awful hell before thanks to the damn gop of the 1950s
Where is the link?
What would you know about good Catholics? I thought you were an atheist?
I have seen plenty of folks here quoting Scripture who claim to be non-believers. Does that make them incapable of knowing of such things?
It is your responsibility to check facts before posting bullshit lies and slanders...
You still did not answer my question about your culpability for posting lies and misinformation...
Except that when it comes to their personsl Christians faith Joe and Jill Biden are actually The Real Thing butt Donald and Melania Trump are known far and wide to be rank religious posers...
For a generation I have observed the damn gop abusing the Name of God to advocate for wars, for torturing people and for state sponsored executions while voting against helping the poor and the disadvantaged which is the opposite of being Christlike. The damn gop abused Christ's name to promote public policy Christ would have abhorred and nibody needs to be a Christian to have noticed the damn gop's damned hypocrisy either...
Let's look again at how the damn gop abuses God's Name...
Where's the link they are not?
You made the statement and youv'e been called - for the 2nd time give us the link!
can I get you a tissue or something?
Look, you can't have it both ways.
You don't get to bitch and whine about Republicans and God and then turn around and demand separation of church and state.
Pick ONE.
Father Morey has no right to tell the public that he denied communion to a church member. Just deny the Eucharist and go on about your business is my opinion.
At least Joe is trying to push his beliefs on people
That was a typo, should have said "doesn't push his beliefs"
So thanks for pointing that out to me. You did your one good deed for the day
I knew that without having to question it.
smile
Agreed. I don't know what catholic communion requires, but I know what the protestant communion is based on. I don't consider communion a practice reserved only for the righteous and holy. If that were the case, there would be one recorded incident in history. Even the good Rev. Morey would have to confess that he is sin filled, and thus the purpose for taking communion in the first place...remember.
And, supposedly by just eating the metaphorical blood and flesh of an undead Jewish zombie rabbi christian true believers can also become immortal undying day walkers, too. Go figure...
Not according to the Bible...no.
If all American priests refused communion to all of the good Americaan Catholics who have practiced non-church sanctioned birth control or who ever partnered in a legal termination then their congregations would lose well over half their parishioners according to all the best current information available...
Pews and collection plates would be emptied and many parishes would simply have to close up altogether.
Also, whether or not Joe Biden is eligible to take Catholic communion or not is strictly between Joe and his personal priest and not some redneck yahoo rogue priest way the hell down in South Fucking Carolina . What this lameass SC priest did was just a stunt. Although, I do firmly believe the Catholic Church has way way way too much sway and influence over our current government and especially over our court system...
If Father Bob had denied communion to all the members of our parish that practiced birth control and broken more than a few commandments...there would be no need for the Eucharistic Ministry in our parish
Same thing at ye olde Plymouth Park Baptist Church. Specific case in point: When my dad retired, we had a party for him at the house. Scads of people from work, the neighborhood and of course, church. The most crowded room in the house? The laundry room. That's where the bar was set up in an effort to 'hide' it.
Yep, Mama told us, "Good girls need love too"...
Translation - Church girls do it too - C'est la vie!
Baptists act badly when they are out of town...
All taxi drivers, hotel clerks & bartenders know.
The priest did what he thought he had to do in terms of denying Biden communion, since Biden is a public figure with known objection to a prominent Church teaching.
However, another priest at a different Catholic church might give him communion and some probably do.
This really should be a non story. The priest should have kept the "news" to himself.
On that, we agree.
Why should the priest keep his protest to himself? Liberals have no problem making a big show of it. If it were Trump I'm guessing the story would be of a little more interest to you. You guys don't mind when every intelligence official leaks classified information like a sieve as long as it slanders out president, but this priest going to the news really bugs you guys. Too funny
Seems like a good way to help membership at more understanding churches
Them's the rules, right?
I'm not Catholic but I do have a question about this matter.
Aren't Catholics supposed to go to confession to confess their sins and gain forgiveness from the priest before receiving communion?
If that is so how would Biden confess since that he didn't break any law and if he did according to the Catholic doctrine didn't he gain absolution by confessing?
KInda sounds to me like the priest was attempting to make a headline. I would think that the confession and the receiving or not receiving communion would be between the priest and Biden.
JMO
To answer your question, Catholics are required to go to confession at least once a year or when their conscience dictates that they need to make one. Then they are resolved by the priest.
Catholics shouldn't take communion if they are not in a state of grace, but for the most part the priest doesn't know that unless the priest was right there sinning along with the parishioner