The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) ignored a warning from the Vatican on Friday when they voted to advance a controversial communion plan that would see President Joe Biden, the second Catholic president in the country’s history, be denied Eucharist because he supports access to abortion, which the church condemns.
The action item for the committee on doctrine to start a teaching document on the Holy Eucharist passed 168-55, with six bishops abstaining from the vote, the USCCB announced Friday, according to The Hill.
The final document will be voted on in November at the group’s next meeting and requires a two-thirds majority for approval.
The text of the proposal has not been written, but America Magazine reported that the proposed outline would “include the theological foundation for the Church’s discipline concerning the reception of Holy Communion and a special call for those Catholics who are cultural, political, or parochial leaders to witness the faith.”
Asked if President Biden should be able to receive communion, Bishop Kevin Rhoades, the chair of the doctrine committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said, “I can’t answer that question,” adding, “We will be looking at that whole issue of eucharistic consistency. … When you look at cannon law, that is a decision of his bishop.”
Still, the move against Biden, a devout Catholic who regularly attends Mass is odd, especially coming from conservative leaders in the Catholic church who ignored the many improprieties of Biden’s predecessor because they supported his politics. The New York Times notes that this is a brand of Catholicism unique to America and is increasingly at odds with the Vatican.
Earlier this week, the pope warned American bishops against denying communion to politicians who support reproductive rights.
“The concern in the Vatican is not to use access to the Eucharist as a political weapon,” Antonio Spadaro, a Jesuit priest and ally of the pope, told the New York Times.
