The seditionist in the next pew...
If you’re a leftish Catholic, this probably hasn’t been your best week.
The decision by the United States Council of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to draft a document addressing Communion this week has made national news, and not just among Catholics. Many writers have pointed out that, while this proposed document doesn’t mention anyone specifically, the discussion of some bishops involved the possible denial of Communion to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and, above all, to President Joe Biden.
Never mind that he’s a weekly Massgoer, or carries a rosary, or can probably sing whatever hymn you mention at the drop of a hat. Because he supports abortion rights, for some bishops (and some lay Catholics as well), he’s beyond the pale and he’s not a “real Catholic”. (A lot of the same folks aren’t happy with his support of LGBTQ+ rights either.)
Biden himself has said that a ban affecting him isn’t going to happen, and he’s almost certainly right. Any policy document like this requires either a unanimous vote of the bishops (which won’t happen), or a two-thirds vote plus approval from the Vatican (which won’t happen either),
Nonetheless, the plan to push through with this document, even in the face of discouragement from the Vatican, shows the priorities of many bishops with a focus on abortion over many other important issues that the Catholic Church for which public officials have expressed a different opinion than the Church.
Pope Francis, for example, formally changed the official teaching on the death penalty in 2018 to declare it “inadmissable” in all cases, but (Catholic) former Attorney General William Barr facilitated no less than thirteen executions in the final six-plus months of the Trump administration, with the final one taking place just four days before Biden was inaugurated. It’s pretty clear, though, that discussions of whom to deny Communion among those who would do so leave in Barr while leaving out Biden and Pelosi.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/6/20/2032902/-The-seditionist-in-the-next-pew