President Joe Biden (C) leaves Holy Trinity Catholic Church in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, on Jan. 24, 2021. Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images
President Joe Biden needs to acknowledge that his support for abortion contradicts his Catholic faith, Kansas City Archbishop Joseph Naumannn said in a recent interview.
The archbishop, who serves as chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, discussed Biden’s Catholic faith during a February interview with the Catholic World Report.
Media outlets and reporters frequently describe Biden as a devout Catholic, though Biden has drawn criticism for supporting and advocating for policies that the Catholic Church explicitly opposes. Naumann suggested that Biden himself should take a more “honest” approach to his faith.
“The president should stop defining himself as a devout Catholic, and acknowledge that his view on abortion is contrary to Catholic moral teaching,” Naumann said.
“It would be a more honest approach from him to say he disagreed with his Church on this important issue and that he was acting contrary to Church teaching,” the archbishop added.
Democratic Presidential Candidate Joe Biden departs St. Joseph on the Brandywine Catholic Church in Wilmington, Del., on Sept. 6, 2020. Jim Watson/AFP
The Catholic Church teaches that abortion is “a crime against human life,” “constitutes a grave offense” and that a person who obtains an abortion is automatically excommunicated from the Catholic Church.
“When he says he is a devout Catholic, we bishops have the responsibility to correct him,” he added. “Although people have given this president power and authority, he cannot define what it is to be a Catholic and what Catholic moral teaching is.”
The Kansas City archbishop said that Biden is “usurping the role of the bishops and confusing people” by acting as though faithful Catholics can support abortion.
“The bishops need to correct him, as the president is acting contrary to the Catholic faith,” he added.
Biden has already enacted policy allowing taxpayer dollars to fund abortions abroad and marked the 48th anniversary of Roe v. Wade by promising to both appoint judges who respect the ruling as precedent Friday and to codify Roe v. Wade.
He also directed the Department of Health and Human Services to review the Title X family planning regulations and is expected to reverse former President Donald Trump’s “Protect Life Rule,” which prohibited Title X Family Planning Program funds from going to organizations that perform or promote abortions.
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