The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) strongly condemned President Biden’s abortion agenda on the day of his inauguration, arguing that he would advance “moral evil” into the “pre-eminent priority” for the faithful.
“I must stress that our new president has pledged to follow certain policies that would promote moral evils and threaten life and human dignity, more seriously in the areas of abortion, contraception, marriage and gender,” said Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez, who serves as president of the USCCB. “The freedom of the Church and the freedom of believers to live according to their consciences are very worrying.”
His comments were made amid a broader debate about American politicians, such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Who identify themselves as Catholics, but follow policies that conflict with Church teaching. Biden, during the campaign, reversed his decades-old stance on the Hyde Amendment, which blocks most taxpayer funding for abortions. He also promised to code Roe v. Wade, a movement that conservatives say would allow abortion until birth.
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Prior to Biden’s inauguration, he and Pelosi attended a mass held at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington, DC It is not clear whether they received communion, but Archbishop Wilton Gregory said beforehand that he would not deny Biden the sacrament.
During the campaign, then-candidate Biden was denied communion by a South Carolina priest and in August, Cardinal Raymond Burke, the former head of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, said the former vice president should not receive communion and was not a Catholic “in good standing”.
For years, Biden supported the Hyde Amendment on the grounds that religious Americans should not have to pay for procedures they oppose. He argued in the same way that Americans should not be forced to embrace their faith’s view of abortion. He seemed to personally despise the Church’s teachings, however, when he officiated at a same-sex wedding ceremony in 2016. He also chose a Health and Human Services secretary who previously sued nuns for opposing Obamacare’s contraceptive mandate.
Regardless, Gomez welcomed Biden and said it would be “refreshing to talk to a president who clearly understands, in a deep and personal way, the importance of faith and religious institutions.”
Gomez added in Wednesday’s statement that abortion “is not just a private matter, it raises fundamental and worrying issues of fraternity, solidarity and inclusion in the human community. It is also a matter of social justice. We cannot ignore the reality that rates abortion rates are much higher among the poor and minorities, and that the procedure is used regularly to eliminate children who would be born with disabilities. “
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Both the Catholic Catechism and some clergy have indicated that politicians have an obligation to support anti-abortion legislation. The section of the Catechism that discusses abortion says that the procedure and infanticide “are abominable crimes”.
After Gomez’s statement, Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago called him “ill-considered”, claiming that the bishops only received it hours before it was released and was drafted without involvement by the organ’s Administrative Committee.
“The internal institutional failures involved must be faced and I hope to contribute with all efforts to this end, so that, inspired by the Gospel, we can build the unity of the Church and, together, take on the healing work of our nations in this time of crisis” said Cupich.
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Pope Francis, for his part, urged Biden to work for a society that respects all human rights.
“At a time when the serious crises that confront our human family require insightful and supportive responses,” he said, “I pray that your decisions will be guided by the concern to build a society marked by authentic justice and freedom, together with unfailing respect. for the rights and dignity of each person, especially the poor, the vulnerable and those who have no voice ”.