Refusing Holy Communion to Biden and Pelosi. Lately the U.S. Catholic Bishops been discussing the question of whether to grant president Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Links to an external site.) (who are both Catholic) the religious sacrament of Holy Communion.
If communion is for the nourishment and healing of the soul of the âunworthyâ (I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed), is the majority of the US Bishops considering this ban justified?
Why is the issue a big concern now if these two politicians have been in politics for a long time (holding high level government positions)?Â
Are these Bishops being âpartisans hypocritesâ as Rep. Ted Lieu charged them on the issue?Â
ALSO, respond to two other post.
Please respond to post 1.
When I consider all the possible angles and answers to this issue I always come back to how I was raised. That is, all my years growing up in the Catholic Church. From holy communion toConfirmation. All those years in Catechism classes, learning what it means to be Catholic, the sacrements, doctrine etc. Because of all of the above, I wish I could say I agree with the U.S. Catholic Bishops request to ban any politician (anyone really) from receiving communion. This means mixing religion with the law. Based on my catholic beliefs, yes they should be banned. But do I think we should get involved with politics, no not at all. Though the first question asks if it justified considering what for Catholics means to receive communion. To be clear on how as Catholics we view the Holy Communion, it is better explained as, âThe Holy Eucharist (Links to an external site.) is the most important of the seven sacraments
because, in this and in no other sacrament, we receive the very body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ. Innumerable, precious graces come to us through the reception of Holy Communion.â (catholic. para. 1) If looking at this from the churchâs principles I feel it is rather difficult not to agree with the U.S. Bishops point of view. Does it make it all a moot point since the Vatican does not agree and has asked them to stand down? In the words explained by this article from the National Catholic Reporter, â The Vatican surprised many Catholics and politicos recently when it threw cold water on a plan by some of the churchs American bishops to ban pro-choice Catholic politicians from receiving Communion.â (National Catholic Reporter)
So understanding everyones take on politics and when and how to get involved. The second question asks if the U.S. bishops are bi-partisan, considering Pelosi and Biden like many other politicians have been life long career politicians. It does give reason to believe they are doing this from a conservative angle. Depending on the current pope and the current issue, it seems either the progressive catholics and the conservative catholics take turn on disagreeing with the intervention from the Vatican. According to the National Catholic Reporter, âProgressive Catholics, who are delighted with this Vatican intervention, should remember that in the days of John Paul and Ratzinger, they complained bitterly about such interventions from the Vatican. Likewise, conservative Catholics, who cheered when John Paul and Ratzinger took on the U.S. bishops conference, should remember that what goes around comes around.â (National Catholic Reporter)