US bishops to draft a document about the company, abortion and Biden

The Catholic Bishops of the United States They agreed to draft a document about the company some of them want to serve to censor Catholic politicians who support the right to abortion, like the president of the country, Joe Biden.

By 168 votes to 55 against, plus six abstentions, Congress members Catholic Bishops of the United States (USCCB) He agreed to draft that controversial statement, which would focus formally on “the meaning of the Eucharist in the life of the Church.”

Behind this initiative is Campaigned by a group of conservative bishops who are uncomfortable with the fact that BidenAnd the The first Catholic to hold the Oval Office in six decades, Also be a strong advocate for the right to abortion

Initially, the proposal sought to go so far as to bar politicians like Biden from participating because of his stance on abortion, but its supporters ended up holding back after being urged by the Vatican to lower the temperature of the debate.

During a long and tense debate Thursday during the USCCB’s annual virtual meeting, promoters of the measure insisted that their plan would not revoke the right to receive Communion from Biden or other Catholic politicians who support the free decision to halt pregnancy.

However, the document has yet to be drafted, and several in the episcopate on Thursday requested some sort of action against a “Catholic president who opposes the teachings of the Church,” in the words of the Bishop of Baker (Oregon), Liam Garry.

Once the document is written, its promoters will need the support of two-thirds of the country’s bishops and a green light from the Vatican to ratify the Final Communiqué, a threshold not easily reached.

Even if that statement tried to deny Biden the right to the communes, the Washington archbishop would have the power to decide whether or not to veto, and he’s already made clear he won’t.

When asked about the bishops’ decision, Biden was not worried about this issue.

“This is It’s a private matter, and I don’t think[his right to communicate]will happen.”said the president in response to a question from a reporter at the White House.

Biden, a devout Catholic who attends Mass every Sunday, was already denied the possibility of receiving Communion once in 2019 due to this political stance; And his team has since spent time making sure that when he travels, he doesn’t go to church where his access to the sacrament might be blocked.

The debate on the issue at the Conference of Bishops reflects the degree to which the polarization has reached in the United States over the right to abortion, which has been guaranteed in the country since 1973 but has been turned into a working pillar by conservatives and some religious groups in the latter three. contracts.

With information from EFE.

LLH