Humanities Homework Help

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 “unworthy” (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)? 

Are these Bishops being “partisans hypocrites” as Rep. Ted Lieu charged them on the issue? 

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, “The 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.” (catholic. para. 1) If looking at this from the church’s 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, “ The Vatican surprised many Catholics and politicos recently when it threw cold water on a plan by some of the church’s American bishops to ban pro-choice Catholic politicians from receiving Communion.” (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, “Progressive 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.” (National Catholic Reporter)

Post 2

US Bishops are trying to ban President Biden and Nancy Pelosi from receiving Holy Communion because they support abortion rights. The Bishops are not justified in doing so. First, the Bill of Rights states that there is separation of church and state. So, the church should not be allowed to ban anyone based on their political beliefs. “The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, an assembly of the country’s 433 active and retired bishops, can issue guideline statements, but it does not have the authority to decide who can or cannot receive the sacrament of communion. That power is reserved for the local bishop, who has autonomy in his diocese, or the Pope”. (The New York Times). The Pope and the President have maintained a mutually respected relationship for years. For many years, President Biden has supported abortion rights and received communion without any issues. The President does not personally believe in abortion but does believe that women should have the right to make that decision themselves. President Biden has been a long time devoted Catholic that regularly received communion.

These Bishops are hypocrites because all Bishops should be consistent with Catholic beliefs and rules. Per the Cardinal Raymond Burke, Pelosi is to be banned from communion because she “persists in a grave sin — cooperating with the crime of procured abortion — and still professes to be a devout Catholic.” (The Washington Post). The fact the Pelosi is denied communion in only regional areas and not all shows inconsistencies with the Catholic Churches. Rep. Ted Lieu charged the bishops with being “partisan” hypocrites, “drawing a comparison to another prominent Catholic in politics who has pushed agendas that run counter to the Catholic Church’s teachings.” (Business Insider).” Per a tweet that Rep. Ted Lieu made, he accuses the the USCCB of not following the same protocol when Bill Barr “expanded killing human beings with the death penalty.” (Business Insider). This again shows many inconsistencies within the Catholic Church. They also do not focus on other issues, such as child sexual abuse, birth control, divorces, etc. Many so-called devoted Catholics do not follow these rules and are not denied communion, so why should political figures be, based on their political agenda?