Why was Joe Biden denied communion at a Catholic church in South Carolina?
A Catholic priest in South Carolina refused to give communion to Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden on Sunday, according to multiple reports.
Biden was campaigning in the state when he went to St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Florence, according to WPDE, The Sun News’ media partner.
The Rev. Robert E. Morey said he made the decision because of Biden’s pro-abortion stance, the station reported.
In a statement reported by media outlets, Morey said: “Sadly, this past Sunday, I had to refuse Holy Communion to Former Vice President Joe Biden. Holy Communion signifies we are one with God, each other and the Church. Our actions should reflect that.”
He continued, “Any public figure who advocates for abortion places himself or herself outside of Church teaching. As a priest, it is my responsibility to minister to those souls entrusted to my care, and I must do so even in the most difficult situations.”
Biden attended the 9 a.m. service at the church, according to SC Now.
“I will keep Mr. Biden in my prayers,” Morey said in the statement.
Morey did not immediately return a call for comment from McClatchy news group early Tuesday morning.
The Biden campaign declined to comment, calling the issue a private matter, according to WPDE.
Biden’s stance on abortion has shifted over the decades, The New York Times has reported.
“He supports abortion rights — but he hasn’t always, The Times reported this summer. “Over his nearly 50-year career, he has swung back and forth, grappling with what he saw as a conflict between abortion rights and his Catholic faith.”
For decades Biden said he supported federal prohibitions on funding abortion, but his position on what’s called the Hyde Amendment has flipped in recent months to supporting federal abortion funding through programs like Medicaid, according to The Times.
According the the Catholic News Agency, in 2004 then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger told bishops in the United States that politicians could be denied communion if they support abortion.
“The case of a ‘Catholic politician’ who is ‘consistently campaigning and voting for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws’ would constitute ‘formal cooperation’ in grave sin,” the Catholic News Agency said.
Biden has been leading in the polls in the crowded field vying for the Democratic nomination for president, according to CNN. A recent poll from the network gave him 34% of the vote, with Elizabeth Warren coming in second at 19% and Bernie Sanders at 16%.
Morey has been a priest at St. Anthony’s in Florence since 2010, SC Now reported.
Before joining the priesthood in 1996, Morey was a criminal defense attorney in Eastern North Carolina and also worked in Washington D.C. for the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, SC Now reports.
He previously served as pastor of the Holy Family Catholic Church in Hilton Head, South Carolina, according to SC Now.
This story was originally published October 29, 2019 at 8:25 AM.
