Conservative Catholics in the US have been building momentum against their liberal counterparts for some time, attempting to deny communion to Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and then-Vice President Joe Biden for their pro-choice policies as early as 2013, when Francis was inaugurated as pope.
In a Thursday vote of 168 to 55, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops voted to draft what they called a “teaching document” that would authorize American bishops to withhold the Eucharist from politicians who support or defend abortion rights. The move is widely interpreted as a rebuke of US President Joe Biden.
The document is reportedly intended as a rebuke to Catholic politicians not politically implementing the teachings of the Church, which strongly opposes abortion.
The rite is among the most important in Christianity, a sacrament symbolizing the Passover meal Jesus enjoyed with his disciples shortly before being crucified, and, more broadly, the new covenant Christians believe they forged with God by choosing to follow Jesus instead of remaining Jews.
However, in 2013, Francis directed Argentine bishops to do just that.
Biden is Catholic and personally opposes abortion, but has supported women’s right to have one because he doesn’t feel his personal religious belief should be imposed on others.
Catholics in America are sharply divided on the issue. While 56% support legalized abortion, about two-thirds of those who regularly attend Mass don’t, according to a March poll by Pew.
Polls also show Catholics are split by the issue along party lines. Another Pew poll shows that 55% of Catholic Republicans think Biden should be denied communion, while 87% of Catholic Democrats don’t.
According to a June 7 count by the Guttmacher Institute, 561 abortion restrictions, including 165 abortion bans, have been introduced in 47 state legislatures in 2021 alone, 83 of which have been enacted. The latest, signed into law on Wednesday by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, would automatically ban abortion in the Lone Star State if the US Supreme Court were to overturn its 1973 ruling in the Roe vs. Wade case.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
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