President Joe Biden received Communion in Rome on Saturday amid a debate in the US about whether to exclude Catholic pro-choice politicians from partaking in the rite.
According to the Associated Press President Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden received Communion at St. Patrick’s Church during Saturday Vigil Mass in the pope’s archdiocese.
The president and first lady sat in the back of the church and were acknowledged at the end of the service.
The Rev. Joe Ciccone, the vice rector of St. Patrick’s and a member of the Paulist order said Biden’s position on abortion was not an issue for him or the parish.
“Communion is what brings us together in the Lord. None of us are pure and perfect. We struggle through life. We’re all saints and sinners,” Ciccone told The Associated Press. “And when you’re a public figure you have to make certain decisions, especially in a democracy, on behalf of more than just your own personal feelings,” he added.
This comes as several conservative U.S. bishops have suggested that Biden and other pro-choice politicians be denied communion because they support a woman’s right to choose.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is due to hold their annual fall conference in mid-November, and will find themselves debating a possible rebuke of a U.S. president, according to AP.
Their decision to proceed with this vote runs counter to the wishes of Pope Francis who warned American bishops against using the Eucharist as a political weapon. The Pope also allegedly told Biden during their meeting on Friday in Rome that he’s a “good Catholic” and should keep receiving communion.
Rev. Steven Petroff the parish rector who actually gave Biden the Eucharist agrees, he told AP, “First of all, I don’t know what is going on inside anyone’s mind when they come to receive the Eucharist. And secondly, I am not the Eucharist police. The Eucharist, as Pope Francis and many popes have said, is medicine for those who need it.”
