Was the president right—is this what actually happened?
(We don’t actually know yet. We may never know.)
Isn’t there a lot more to this meeting (and to this issue) than meets the eye?
(Yes.)
During a trip to the Vatican a few days ago, President Joe Biden “held extended and highly personal talks with Pope Francis,” according to an account by the Associated Press—and Biden later declared to the world that the pontiff told him he was a “good Catholic” and that he should keep receiving Communion.
This, even though Biden somehow supports abortion rights, as well as same-sex marriage.
But Biden’s account of what the pope supposedly told him during their private meeting was “not verified by the Vatican,” as Breitbart and other outlets pointed out.
Some U.S. bishops have suggested in the past that Biden—given his controversial stance on abortion, which stands squarely against the teachings of the Roman Catholic church—should not be given or receive the sacrament of Communion.
Yet, as Biden told the world about his meeting with the pope, “We just talked about the fact that he was happy that I was a good Catholic and that I should keep receiving Communion.”
Here is a Biden tweet about his encounter this past Friday with the pontiff:
The AP noted that “American bishops are due to meet in their annual fall conference in mid-November” of this year—and that when they do, they “will find themselves debating a possible rebuke of a U.S. president just weeks after their boss spent so much time with Biden that all their subsequent meetings were thrown off by an hour.”
Related: Pence Pushes Back Hard Against Biden’s Plan to Pay Migrant Families
Followers of Biden’s trip and of the pope’s doings—and readers of all walks of life—have been sharing their thoughts about the Biden-Francis encounter and especially about the larger issue of Biden’s standing as a Catholic, given his controversial political views.
Here’s a sampling below of what some people are saying on social media—followed by more information and reaction via Twitter. (What do you think about the issue? Let us know on the Christian News Journal Facebook page.)
“Keep religion out of politics.”
“Why shouldn’t [Biden] keep receiving Communion?! This is not breaking news.”
It’s “against the church to receive Communion if you break a commandment. [Biden] breaks many on a daily basis. Maybe this is why [he’s been taking] so many trips home to his basement. It is his 24-hour confessional so he can be absolved of his sins.”
“Who knows what the pope really said?”
“The pope should have been clearer. A sin is a sin.”
And here are tweets about the Biden-pope meeting:
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—By CNJ Staff