Former Vice President Joe Biden’s “consistent record” of supporting abortion legislation disqualifies him from receiving Holy Communion according to a Roman Catholic cardinal.
“No devout Catholic, no practicing Catholic, can be in favor of abortion,” Cardinal Raymond Burke told Fox News host Martha MacCallum, contending that the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate “has a consistent record of being pro-abortion.”
(Video: Fox News)
No one claiming to be a devout Catholic could “justify voting for legislation, policies that promote abortion,” the 71-year-old outspoken conservative explained on “The Story” on the eve of the 46th annual March for Life in Washington, D.C.
“This isn’t a question of a confessional belief,” Burke added. “This has to do with the natural law. The first precept of the natural law is the defense of human life.”
“You can’t say … privately, ‘I think it’s wrong’ — I imagine he means by that, as a Catholic, he thinks it’s wrong — but then, in his public life, he can act as if it’s not morally evil,” he said. “It’s one of the greatest moral evils.”
Rev. Robert Morey barred Biden from receiving Holy Communion at a Catholic church in South Carolina last October.
“Holy Communion signifies we are one with God, each other, and the [Catholic] Church,” Morey said at the time. “Our actions should reflect that. Any public figure who advocates for abortion places himself or herself outside of Church teaching.”
Biden has sometimes had conflicting positions on abortion, announcing his opposition to the Hyde Amendment last year after having supported the legislation which prevents taxpayer funding for abortion when he was a senator. But the denial of the Catholic sacrament by Morey last year came after Biden disagreed with a South Carolina proposal to ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, including in cases of rape or incest.
Let’s be clear, this ban is dangerous and directly violates a woman’s constitutional right to choose. We must stop it.
As president, I will codify Roe into federal law and ensure this choice remains between a woman and her doctor. https://t.co/IFgnRjBm8N
— Joe Biden (Text Join to 30330) (@JoeBiden) October 23, 2019
Burke believes Morey’s decision to deny Biden communion “was right and just.”
“Would that more priests would act in a similar manner,” he said in an interview with The Wanderer.
“This whole matter is not a question of politics — it is a question of the moral law. The moral law applies to politicians as much as anyone else. If one is ignorant of the truth and promotes abortion legislation, that is one thing. But if one is a professed Roman Catholic who has been admonished that he (or she) cannot support legislation against the natural moral law, he (or she) is bound to be obedient to that law,” Burke said.
“How can bishops stay out of the matter, when politicians who profess to be Catholic are giving scandal to the whole nation by voting in favor of abortion? How can they silently stand by?” he asked.
Burke has targeted other prominent liberals with pro-abortion stands, calling out former Democratic Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry in 2004 and suggesting he be denied communion due to his abortion views. He called for an invitation to singer Sheryl Crow for a benefit concert for the Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital to be rescinded due to her support of abortion. When she was allowed to perform anyway, Burke resigned from the board in 2007.
The cardinal, who has publicly clashed with Pope Francis, also criticized former President Obama’s stand on abortion and other issues, contending that a practicing Catholic “could not have voted for him with a clear conscience.”
Burke was pleased with the election of President Trump, saying the election victory was a win for pro-life causes. He told Fox News that it was “wonderful news” that Trump was planning to attend the March For Life rally, the first U.S. president to do so.
Cardinal Burke applauds President Trump attending March for Life: “it’s wonderful news”https://t.co/CEAe2bAUQ4 pic.twitter.com/ZrwrlFRZIk
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) January 24, 2020
“There couldn’t be anything more important for our nation than to restore our respect for human life,” Burke told MacCallum. “And that the president himself will now give witness to this is really a wonderful moment.”
DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW
Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!
Frieda@bizpacreview.com
Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.
