Washington D.C., Mar 31, 2021 / 04:00 am (CNA).- Two-thirds of U.S. Catholics say that President Joe Biden, who has contradicted Church teaching on abortion, marriage, and gender ideology, should be allowed to receive Communion.
According to a Pew Research Center survey released on Tuesday, 67% of U.S. Catholics say that Biden should be allowed to receive Communion at Mass, while fewer than one-third (29%) believe he should not be allowed to receive.
Beliefs on Communion fell somewhat along party lines, with 55% of Catholic Republicans – or those who lean Republican – saying that Biden should be denied Communion, while only 11% of Democrats or those leaning Democrat saying he should be denied Communion.
The Communion question has resurfaced during Biden’s presidency, as some bishops have previously cited canon 915 of the Code of Canon Law to say that Catholic public officials should be denied Communion for their “obstinate” support for grave evils such as abortion, despite warnings from pastors.
Canon 915 states that Catholics who are “obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to holy communion.”
In a 2004 memo to U.S. bishops, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger wrote that a Catholic politician who is “consistently campaigning and voting for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws” is engaging in “formal cooperation” in grave sin, cooperation that is “manifest.”
In these cases that meet the definition laid out in Canon 915, Catholic politicians should not receive Communion, Ratzinger wrote, and their pastor must admonish them on the Church’s teachings. If the politician refuses to assent to the Church’s teachings, then “the minister of Holy Communion must refuse to distribute it,” Ratzinger wrote.
Biden has long supported legal abortion, while more recently he has supported the redefinition of marriage, taxpayer-funded abortion and transgender ideology.
Biden’s home bishop in Wilmington, Delaware – Bishop William Malooly – has said he would not deny Biden Communion over his problematic policy stances. Biden’s archbishop in D.C., Cardinal Wilton Gregory, has also said he would not deny Biden Communion.
Other bishops have argued to the contrary. Retired Archbishop Charles Chaput wrote in December that Biden should not receive Communion because of his support for abortion.
In his homily at the annual Vigil Mass for Life on Jan. 28, the U.S. bishops’ conference (USCCB) pro-life chair Archbishop Joseph Naumann – while not naming Biden – said that Catholics should not receive Communion if they are contradicting “fundamental” Church teaching.
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, in a January interview with EWTN Pro-Life Weekly, said that Communion could be withheld “for the sake” of someone’s “soul,” but only after “private conversations” had taken place between the pastor and the Catholic “to try to move the person in their conscience.”
Cordileone added that bishops must also be emphasizing the general teaching on worthiness to receive Communion – the necessity of not being conscious of serious sin and having fasted from food and drink for at least one hour.
“For that kind of action [denial of Communion] to make sense to a lot of people, we need to reclaim this sense of what it means to receive [Communion],” Cordileone said, citing a lack of belief in the Real Presence of the Eucharist among Catholics.
Leading U.S. bishops have noted Biden’s problematic stances on serious moral issues such as abortion, gender ideology, and marriage. USCCB president Archbishop Jose Gomez created a working group in November to advise the conference on dealing with a Catholic president who held both good and bad policy positions.
One of the recommendations of the bishops’ working group was a teaching document on “Eucharistic coherence.” The term has previously been used by bishops to emphasize the integrity of a Christian’s life, that in order to receive the Eucharist a Catholic must obey the Commandments and assent to the teachings of the Church.
Archbishop Gomez issued a Jan. 20 statement on Biden’s inauguration that highlighted his areas of agreement with the conference, but also pointed out that he has “pledged to pursue certain policies that would advance moral evils and threaten human life and dignity, most seriously in the areas of abortion, contraception, marriage, and gender.”
As a candidate for president, Biden defended his record on abortion and supported both taxpayer-funded abortion and abortion coverage on a public option health plan.
As president, Biden repealed the Mexico City Policy, allowing U.S. global health assistance to fund international pro-abortion groups. He has also instructed his health secretary, Xavier Becerra, to begin reversing a rule that blocked taxpayer funding of domestic pro-abortion groups under the Title X program.
Biden also signed a COVID relief bill into law that did not include pro-life funding protections; pro-life leaders warned that billions of dollars in health care funding under the bill could be available for abortion providers or abortion coverage.
He has also pledged to sign the Equality Act, which the bishops have warned would codify transgender ideology in law and force many religious groups and people to support the ideology in violation of their consciences.
Among issues of abortion, homosexuality, the death penalty, and immigration, abortion received the most support among Catholics on the Pew question of denying Communion to a public official who contradicted the Church’s teachings.
While 29% of Catholics said an official contradicting the Church’s teaching on abortion should be denied Communion, only 19% said that an official “disagreeing” with the Church on homosexuality should be denied Communion, and 18% answered the same on the matter of the death penalty. Only 9% of Catholics said an official should be denied Communion for disagreeing with the Church’s position on immigration.
Elsewhere in the poll, 64% of Catholics said they thought President Biden was either “very” or “somewhat” religious.
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“According to a Pew Research Center survey released on Tuesday, 67% of U.S. Catholics say that Biden should be allowed to receive Communion at Mass, while fewer than one-third (29%) believe he should not be allowed to receive.”
…the same percentages, respectively, as for the two-thirds of so-called Catholics who do not assist at Mass regularly, and then for the less than one-third who actually believe in the Real Presence.
I have a large extended family, but practically all my cousins left the Church. They were all educated at Catholic schools when those schools were robustly orthodox, but most are agnostic now and a few other Christian sects. And there’s a Buddhist in there somewhere. Vatican 2 destroyed the Church.
The results of this survey come as no shock at all. Most catholics dont attend Mass each Sunday, which is a mandatory requirement,and dont know many of the rules and traditions of the church . They are ill informed on the church’s most basic teachings, important ones like that of the Real Presence. So how would you expect them to know the consequences of promoting abortion right until the day of birth as Biden does? We live in an “everything is ok, do your own thing” sort of society. Biden’s political position on abortion creates scandal, and as such, should put Biden out of the orbit of being able to receive Communion. He waves his church membership like a flag for political reasons to pander for votes.. Too many people want to believe that being “nice” trumps all other rules, regulations and laws in any realm. A survey of the ignorant doesnt tell you much of value.
“A survey of the ignorant doesn’t tell you much of value.”
Nailed it, so you did!
Two-thirds CINO’s.
2/3 of the people who are “LIKE” Biden say, yea let him receive. Whereas, practicing Catholics say its a NO NO! IMHO, This is really a JUNK article. I’m surprised at CWR for printing it.
Better had they taken the red/scarlet hats to task for not Bell, Book & Candling the faker as indicated in Canon Law: Ref. Canon Law #1398 and #1329.2 Biden is no longer a member of Body of Christ [the Church].
Great to know that majority of Catholics understand what the Church truly teaches and do not follow partisan operatives masquerading as faithful Catholics in politicizing the Eucharist. They give assent to what Pope Francis teaches in Evangelii Gaudium: “The Eucharist, although it is the fullness of sacramental life, is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak. These convictions have pastoral consequences that we are called to consider with prudence and boldness. Frequently, we act as arbiters of grace rather than its facilitators. But the Church is not a tollhouse; it is the house of the Father, where there is a place for everyone, with all their problems” (EG 47).
What a foolish comment.
It is the Bidens of the world who ‘practice’ such a private version of a Catholicism that it is not recognizable by the Church Militant. It was that ‘of the world’ that continues to politicize the Eucharist.
Where in Scripture or Tradition is the Eucharist to be treated – in such a manner, unguarded or so shabbily – that the agents of ‘access’ can deride Church safeguards as a ‘toll house’?
But Monday morning comes and the ‘pope Francis the greater’ and fellow travelers take pride in their self-righteous glee and, meanwhile, Biden continues in the undeniable sin of public scandal and rejects Church teaching…and in his power as president, the slaughter of the unborn, inexorably, marches on.
But explicitly with the Church’s approval and a smiling ‘pope francis the greater’…
Pachamama has spoken! Now, back to slaughtering babies…
Let’s just cut to the chase ………… PFtG does not understand what it means to be a ‘practicing’ Catholic, willing to give his/her life without hesitation if needs be rather than deny Christ, as in ……………. get this PFtG,
“God willed all religions.” OMGosh, heresy proclaimed by a ………… pope.
“politicizing the Eucharist” – key phrase.
This survey by Pew Research is worthless. They could not define the word “Catholic” any better than could Biden or the “Catholic” News Agency. The fact that the CNA reports on this demonstrates once again the “double game” they continue to play in presenting themselves as authentically Catholic journalists.
Yup, You got it Timothy. I told CNA a few years back they were suppressing FREE SPEECH when they decided to stop offering ‘Comments’. Me thinks they couldn’t handle the CORRECTIVE posts of many well versed & faithful practicing Catholics that sometimes ran contrary to some of their articles written by “progressive” or INO Catholics.
As noted, two-thirds of Catholics simply agree with the Cardinal of Washington DC that the Eucharist is of no great importance. Thank goodness Biden upholds “church teaching” on immigration.
Thank goodness Biden upholds “church teaching” on immigration.
Anathema Joe – along with many masquerading as Bishops – ignores the following, particularly the “obey its laws” part.
“Political authorities, for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible, may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions, especially with regard to the immigrants’ duties toward their country of adoption. Immigrants are obliged to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws and to assist in carrying civic burdens.” Paragraph 2, Section 2241, Catechism of the Catholic Church(emphasis added)
It seems that every PEW poll just confirms some liberal or socialist position. My opinion is that someone in the Biden Administration or Dem party went to PEW organization requesting or maybe funding this poll to support Biden’s pro abortion agenda. Everyone knows PEW polls gets lots of media attention, so it would be just the vehicle to let everyone know that Catholics are okay with a pro baby killing president to receive communion. You can be sure the Poll was structured to give this result. Also its interesting the poll came out just before April 1 or April Fools day.
I am curious as to how the ‘interviews’ were conducted – were people interviewed coming out of Mass, were they called at home, how were they selected?
Those who were for Biden – when did they last attend Mass?
This whole piece is not surprising, nor, in my opinion, should it be taken seriously – at all.
Here’s something I noticed about our local parish. Last year at this time as part of the intentions we would pray every Sunday for “Welcoming the stranger” only occassionally would we also pray for the unborn. Now we never pray for the stranger, occassionally pray for the unborn, but mainly for the hierarchy in the Church and State, – also parishoners and of course an end to the Pandemic. I asked my wife about it as she is a reader and she said the intentions come from the Bishop’s office and is coordinated with our parish secretary and our Pastor.
Are two-thirds of Catholics actually Catholic? I think that when he was writing on the subject in the 1960s, Joseph Ratzinger called them the New Heathens. Sadly, things have gotten worse for the Church.
Of course Biden can receive Communion-after he goes to confession, does penance, and publicly renounces his positions contrary to the faith.
I’m not holding my breath, are you?
Two thirds of American Catholics need to go back to Catechism class.
Why has CWR seen fit to publish this trashy survey? It has no value except to serve as click-bait.
If you read 1 Cor. 11:27-30 and you will understand why denying Communion is an act of mercy. “Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are ill and infirm, and a considerable number are dying.”
I find the last verse … interesting. Little known fact: This scripture is not in the Lectionary for any of the Sunday or daily cycles. I wonder why?
Yes, this survey is useless. Many of these “Catholics” will be the same ones who go to a wedding or a funeral and receive Communion, even though Ratzinger’s/Benedict’s “New Heathens” name describes them perfectly.
Yes! Joe B. is eligible for Holy Communion in any Protestant Church of his choice. Same goes for the 67% CINOs who think like Joe as well as for those unnamed, uncounted Judas Catholic priests, bishops, and cardinals who think just like Joe.
Well,Cdl.Burke a couple of days ago set a new standard for Pres. Biden (and his merry band of weirdos) who inhabit the WH; possible excommunication for Biden if he persists in his outrageous heterodoxy of all – out support for legalized killing of the unborn. Why not the same culpability for Andrew Cuomo of NY; HE CERTAINLY DESERVES the same treatment as Biden might get. and he’s even MORE
culpable for excommunication than Biden because of Cuomo’s very believable charges agaist him of multiple sexual harrasments AND murders of 15,000 elderly Covid patients. So yes, lets hope that the good CARDINAL. of NY will also do his duty, amd threaten excommunication of Andy Cuomo. IMHO, they BOTH deserve to be excommunicated
And what “percentage” cried “Crucify Him”?
Are the Catholics who responded “practicing” ? Are they believers of the True Presence? Perhaps those two questions should have been asked first and then the Biden question to get a better, true sense of what practicing Catholics really think.
I’m not Catholic, and I wouldn’t want him taking communion in my church either.
Spare me. These 2/3rds have picked McCarrick over Ratzinger. (Who’s McCarrick? Who’s Ratzinger?)
Given that something in the range of 70% of all Catholics do not attend Mass on a weekly basis, the Pew research is in essence invalid. If someone has an opinion that they do not need to attend Mass regularly, all of the rest of their opinions about things Catholic are at a minimum suspect.
Had Pew sorted out Catholics who actually attend Mass weekly, I suspect the results would be seriously different.
It doesn’t seem to be well-known that the Bible says abortion is okay: see Numbers 5:11 to 5:31.