Pope Weighs in on Calls to Deny Communion to Biden Over Abortion
Elisabetta Povoledo, Richard Pérez-Peña, and Ruth Graham of The New York Times report, “Pope Francis weighed in on Wednesday on a debate roiling the Roman Catholic Church in the United States, where conservative bishops are pushing for guidelines that would deny communion to politicians, like President Biden, who support abortion rights.” In response to a question from the media aboard the papal plane, he said, “Bishops should be pastors, not politicians. What must the pastor do? Be a pastor, don’t go condemning. Be a pastor, because he is a pastor also for the excommunicated.” The U.S. Bishop’s conference will vote on eucharist guidelines in November.