Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic
Is There Any Hope for People Like You and Joe Biden?

Is There Any Hope for People Like You and Joe Biden?

Last updated on: October 31, 2019 at 6:17 am by Jennifer Fitz

Is There Any Hope for People Like You and Joe Biden? 2019-10-31T06:17:36-05:00 Jennifer Fitz

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Here’s a curious thing about judging-not: In my heavily-Catholic corner of social media, there were one of two responses to reports that Fr. Robert Morey denied Joe Biden communion. Half the crowd cheered, no surprise. The other half invoked the need not to judge . . . and in the process tossed out all kinds of conjecture about the sorry state of Fr. Morey’s soul.

I considered getting hold of a few friends of Fr. Morey and finding out more about the particulars of the case, but I think for the good of the internet a larger question is more pertinent: Is it possible Fr. Morey did the right thing?

Setting aside any chance that (despite his good reputation among a few Catholics who know him) the man entirely bungled the whole affair and eats kittens for breakfast besides, could there still be some other priest who might deny Mr. Biden communion in exactly the right way?

Just How Bad is this Abortion Situation?

There was a time when Joe Biden waffled on abortion, but he’s over that now. To hear it told, this is because hundreds of American women every day lie languishing on their death beds, their tormented physicians doing everything they can to save mother and baby, but alas the little one expired despite all efforts to save his precious life in the process of delivering mother from her mortal peril. Outpatient, of course.

This is not the reality of abortion in America. What’s real?

Teenage girls are pressured into abortion by their parents and grandparents.
Victims of incest are brought to the clinic by their abusers, and no one bothers to consider that a girl so young might not have consented to anything in all this.
Trafficked women are brought to the clinic by their pimps, and the fact that he’s a regular customer and she’s not free to leave without him raises no concern.
Babies are aborted because they are girls and the parents have too many of those, need a boy this time.
Children with disabilities are deemed too defective to have a life worth living.

Were Mr. Biden keen to prevent these deaths, it would not be difficult to write legislation that outlawed the intentional killing of innocent children, but still protected physicians in cases where attempts to save the mother’s life resulted in unwanted harm (even death) to the baby. Were he keen to help mothers in crisis pregnancies of any kind, he could campaign on a platform addressing the underlying issues that put parents in the position of feeling they have no choice but to abort. That is not what he has done. On the contrary: In his current presidential campaign, he has come out in favor of more permission for abortion.

It becomes difficult to imagine how a priest could knowingly condone such a position. But let’s look at the arguments in favor of turning a blind eye:

Yes he’s bad, but other people are just as bad.

This may be an argument in favor of withholding communion from more people, but nothing in it negates the reality that Mr. Biden wants to enshrine in federal law the right to kill innocent people. Let us agree, then, that anyone who openly supports the killing of innocents should be denied the sacrament until they repent of that belief.

Pro Tip: If you are privately supporting the killing of innocents, now is the time cut that out.

Father shouldn’t politicize the sacraments.

True. Has he done such a thing? Perhaps Father is guilty of giving communion to pro-choice Republicans, and other scoundrels who just came from openly denouncing the faith at the doorstep of the church, while shamelessly denying the sacrament to those of the other party. If so, let the bishop speak to Father about the need to deny communion to all who openly campaign for the killing of innocents, regardless of political affiliation.

Father shouldn’t create a public scene.

Indeed. Father never should have invited Biden to come campaign in Florence, SC, and requested the candidate present himself for communion in his parish. Oh, wait, it’s Joe Biden who put Father in the position of having to figure out what to do. We’ll agree that when Mr. Biden rolled into Mass, Father definitely should have taken the visitor aside and discussed the question of communion privately, so that Mr. Biden knew not to present himself for communion.

You don’t know the state of Joe Biden’s soul.

Lord willing, perhaps even now Mr. Biden is taking a time of silent reflection while he figures out how to explain to the world that he has changed his view and no longer supports the killing of innocents. In that case, should Mr. Biden have been unjustly denied communion, having repented of his desire to enable the killing of innocents on a massive scale, and sought confession and absolution in the time between his last campaign speech and his arrival at Mass, then indeed Fr. Morey should have been among the first to welcome the penitent back into the fold. It does not appear from Fr. Morey’s statement that Mr. Biden has apprised him of his change of heart.

Biden’s own bishop doesn’t have a problem with this.

I know! I’m shocked, too. Everywhere you go, people are talking about how holy and faithful the leaders of the Catholic Church have proven to be in every regard. But of course the Church is a hospital for sinners, so I suppose this one time maybe a bishop has made the wrong decision? Or perhaps a man earnestly seeking to do what was right came to a different conclusion than another man seeking to do what was right.

UPDATE: You know how I complain about bishops? Frequently? I am officially un-complaining about the bishops who put in place this policy. Which Fr. Morey was obeying.

At least Biden isn’t Episcopalian.

Amen and alleluia. Joe Biden belongs in the Catholic Church. It would be far easier for him to seek comfort in the arms of sycophants, so thanks be to God he hasn’t entirely given up his faith. If you’re a bad Catholic, don’t give up on yourself. Keep dragging yourself to church. When you sin miserably, repent, approach the throne of grace, ask forgiveness, and ask for God’s help in avoiding those temptations that weigh you down and wreck your life.

Maybe your nasty habits are private rather than public; maybe your sins run to something other than murder; maybe you have in mind some things you have done, or been, that you think are unforgivable; maybe you feel that you’ve run out of chances, and God has lost His patience with your constant falling back into ugly sin. Nope. God loves you and He wants you back. Not just darkening the doors of the church, though that’s a start. He wants you, and Joe Biden, all the way back into intimate union with Him.

Updated to add a link to Fr. Matthew Schneider’s post: 2 Priests & a Deacon Explain Why We Might Deny Communion

Artwork: Henry IV at Canossa, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain

Previous Post

October 24, 2019

Trends in Parish Administration: Are Deacons the New Black?

Next Post

January 11, 2020 Request for Contributions: Effective Communication on Parish Access for You, a Person with a Disability

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Books Catechesis Catholic Q&A Chastity Church Craziness Come See Me Talk Disability & Chronic Illness Economics Evangelization Facepalm Forgiveness Good Things History Homeschooling Human Rights It's All Catholic Listen to Me Survey Series Liturgical Living Marriage Modesty Not Satire. But almost. Rant-o-Rama Sacred Art & Music Satire South Carolina Spark Clutter Stick that Corner Suffering Thinking Topics Writing Stuff

Select a Month September 2026 July 2026 June 2026 January 2026 December 2025 September 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 November 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 May 2019 April 2019 February 2019 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

I am twelve men sent to explore the Promised Land, but only two gave a good report. Who are we?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Messengers Leaders of Israel The twelve spies Explorers