'Moral Evils': Pope And Bishops Clash On Pro-Choice Catholic Biden
Cardinal Blase Cupich of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago prays as names of homicide victims are read during a prayer walk through Chicago's Englewood neighborhood on the city's South Side, April 14, 2017. (Wikimedia Commons)
WASHINGTON — On Jan. 20, President Joe Biden became only the second Catholic to hold the highest office in U.S. government.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) released a letter on the day of Biden’s inauguration, directly and pointedly calling attention to Biden’s liberal platform.
“I must point out that our new President has pledged to pursue certain policies that would advance moral evils and threaten human life and dignity, most seriously in the areas of abortion, contraception, marriage, and gender,” wrote José H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles and President of the USCCB. “Of deep concern is the liberty of the Church and the freedom of believers to live according to their consciences.”
Biden, who regularly attends Mass and has made his faith a cornerstone of his campaign for office, contradicts Catholic teaching on a slew of moral and social issues. His stances on both abortion and gay marriage in particular oppose the morals of the Catholic Church.
Archbishop Gomez named abortion as Biden’s most pressing divergence from Catholic morality.
“For the nation’s bishops, the continued injustice of abortion remains the ‘preeminent priority.’ Preeminent does not mean ‘only.’ We have deep concerns about many threats to human life and dignity in our society,” Gomez wrote. “But as Pope Francis teaches, we cannot stay silent when nearly a million unborn lives are being cast aside in our country year after year through abortion.”
Biden has made unity and reconciliation major talking points of his presidency, promising to do his best to mend an increasingly politically splintered nation. Gomez wrote that he hoped in this spirit, Biden would be willing to negotiate and collaborate on fixing the problem of abortion at its root cause.
“My hope is that we can begin a dialogue to address the complicated cultural and economic factors that are driving abortion and discouraging families,” he said. “My hope, too, is that we can work together to finally put in place a coherent family policy in this country, one that acknowledges the crucial importance of strong marriages and parenting to the well-being of children and the stability of communities. If the President, with full respect for the Church’s religious freedom, were to engage in this conversation, it would go a long way toward restoring the civil balance and healing our country’s needs.”
The USCCB’s letter was very quickly challenged by Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago. Cardinal Cupich, one of the most prominent and respected Catholic clergymen in the United States, criticized the letter publicly on the same day it was released.
“Today, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued an ill-considered statement on the day of President Biden’s inauguration,” Cuprich wrote in a social media post.
Cuprich alleged that the letter was written without the input of all relevant parties, saying, “Aside from the fact that there is seemingly no precedent for doing so, the statement, critical of President Biden, came as a surprise to many bishops, who received it just hours before it was released.”
“The statement was crafted without the involvement of the Administrative Committee, a collegial consultation that is normal course for statements that represent and enjoy the considered endorsement of the American bishops.”
Cupich concluded saying that the release of the letter without his approval was a “failure” of the conference, and urged clergymen to be more unified in their work moving forward.
“The internal institutional failures involved must be addressed, and I look forward to contributing to all efforts to that end, so that, inspired by the Gospel, we can build up the unity of the Church, and together take up the work of healing our nation in this moment of crisis,” Cupich wrote.
Pope Francis also released a letter of congratulations to Biden on the day of his inauguration.
In contrast to the explicit and confrontational tone of the USCCB’s letter, Pope Francis’s message was subdued and more focused on a vague encouragement for morality.
“On the occasion of your inauguration as the fourty-sixth President of the United States of America, I extend cordial good wishes and the assurance of my prayers that Almighty God will grant you wisdom and strength in the exercise of your high office,” Francis wrote.
The closest that Pope Francis came to mentioning Biden’s heterodox policy-making was a mention of respect for “those who have no voice.”
"At a time when the grave crises facing our human family call for farsighted and united responses,” the pope wrote. “I pray that your decisions will be guided by a concern for building a society marked by authentic justice and freedom, together with unfailing respect for the rights and dignity of every person, especially the poor, the vulnerable and those who have no voice."
The papacy has a long tradition of correspondence with world leaders at the beginning of their terms. Presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama both received similar letters in the past.
"I likewise ask God, the source of all wisdom and truth, to guide your efforts to foster understanding, reconciliation and peace within the United States and among the nations of the world in order to advance the universal common good. With these sentiments, I willingly invoke upon you and your family and the beloved American people an abundance of blessings."
Timothy Nerozzi is a writer and editor from northeastern Pennsylvania. He covers religious issues with a focus on the Catholic Church and Japanese society and culture.