Catholics divided as bishops examine Biden's abortion stance

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FILE - In this Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019, file photo, Archbishop Jose H. Gomez, right, of Los Angeles, with Bishop Michael F. Burbidge, left, of Arlington, Va., and Cardinal Joseph William Tobin, of Newark, N.J., exits a news conference after being elected president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops during their Fall General Assembly in Baltimore. On Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020, Gomez addressed an online national meeting of bishops. During the previous week, Gomez congratulated Joe Biden on his presidential election victory. Now, Gomez is sounding a different tone, saying some of Bidens policy positions, including support for abortion rights, pose a difficult and complex situation for the church. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark, File)

Catholics split almost evenly in supporting Donald Trump or Joe Biden in the presidential election. Now theyā€™re sharply divided over a declaration by the head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that the president-elect's support for abortion rights presents the church with a ā€œdifficult and complex situation.ā€

The USCCBā€™s president, Los Angeles Archbishop JosĆ© Gomez, made that statement Tuesday near the close of the conferenceā€™s national meeting and announced the formation of a working group of bishops to assess the dilemma. Some experts said it's possible the group will discuss whether Biden ā€” a practicing Roman Catholic ā€” should be barred from partaking in Holy Communion.

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Catholic anti-abortion activists hope the bishops follow through with tough words and action, making clear that Catholic politicians who support abortion are in breach of church teaching.

Bidenā€™s policy agenda ā€œis incompatible with the Catholic position on abortion and the protection of innocent human life,ā€ said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, a leading anti-abortion group.

But others criticized the USCCB as setting the stage for potential conflict with the president-elect just days after he received a congratulatory call from Pope Francis. Biden said he hopes to work with the pontiff on issues such as climate change, poverty and immigration.

ā€œThe USCCB leadership simply canā€™t embrace the idea of engagement and goodwill that Pope Francis has asked of them,ā€ said David Gibson, director of Fordham Universityā€™s Center on Religion and Culture. ā€œThat the pope called to congratulate Biden and discussed working together while the American bishops capped their meeting with plans to do battle with the incoming president says it all.ā€

Natalia Imperatori-Lee, a professor of religious studies at Manhattan College, also was dismayed by the USCCB.

ā€œIt seems theyā€™d like to start an antagonistic relationship with only the second Catholic to be elected the president of this country,ā€ she said via email. ā€œThis is appalling.ā€

ā€œThe bishops have chosen to continue the culture war that uses abortion to drive wedges in our church and our society, because they see that as a winning issue for them,ā€ she wrote.

Gomez has welcomed many of Bidenā€™s stances, including on immigration, racial justice and climate change. But some conservative bishops, citing the churchā€™s opposition to abortion, have been outspoken in their criticism after Gomez congratulated Biden on his victory.

On Tuesday, as the USCCB ended the public portion of its meeting, Gomez read a statement that arose from discussions with some of the agitated bishops.

ā€œThe president-elect has given us reason to think he will support some good policiesā€ but also some that ā€œundermine our preeminent priority of the elimination of abortion," the archbishop said.

ā€œThese policies pose a serious threat to the common good,ā€ Gomez added. ā€œWhen politicians who profess the Catholic faith support them ... it creates confusion among the faithful about what the church actually teaches on these questions.ā€

Gomez said he would form a working group to address the matter, headed by the USCCBā€™s vice president, Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron.

Two Catholic academics, responding to queries from The Associated Press, did not rule out the possibility that the working group could discuss whether Biden should be barred from partaking in Holy Communion because of his abortion stance.

That question ā€œdoes not turn on what political office he holds, but on his public conduct as a Catholic,ā€ said Edward Peters, professor of canon law at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit.

ā€œHis prominence in public life makes his case more visible, certainly,ā€ Peters added. "But, in the end, it is his own behavior that determines whether he should be refused Holy Communion.ā€

Thomas Groome, a theology professor at Boston College, said conservative bishops on the working group would likely push for Biden to be denied Communion. But he noted that Bidenā€™s support for abortion rights is, according to many surveys, shared by most U.S. Catholics.

Groome called Gomezā€™s statement ā€œdreadfully unfortunate" and said ā€œthe bishops should be helping bring us together rather than driving us apart.ā€

Chieko Noguchi, a USCCB spokeswoman, said the working group has not yet met and declined to comment on whether it would discuss a potential Communion ban for Biden. There has been no response by Bidenā€™s transition team to AP requests for comment.

Divisions within the USCCBā€™s ranks over the president-elect have been stark, with some, such as Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas, balking at recognizing his victory.

ā€œI appreciate Archbishop Gomezā€™ acknowledgment that Vice President Bidenā€™s proposed policies are divergent from Catholic teaching in significant ways,ā€ Strickland tweeted Tuesday. ā€œIt remains troubling that the USCCB treats the election as certified when it is not & it continues to be a source of division.ā€

Journalists for Catholic news outlets pointed out that the USCCB did not wait for election results to be certified in 2016, when it swiftly congratulated Trump after Election Day.

Kristan Hawkins, a Catholic who is president of Students for Life of America, said leaders of the U.S. church need to be blunter in condeming Catholic politicians who support abortion rights.

ā€œThis pretense that ending preborn life is negotiable with the church does create chaos and confusion,ā€ Hawkins said. ā€œThis failure of leadership gives women who know that abortion is wrong the permission theyā€™re looking for to get an abortion."

However, Jamie Manson, president of Catholics for Choice, said Gomezā€™s claim that Bidenā€™s position creates confusion among church members is "condescending.ā€

ā€œThey are, in fact, well-informed and have used their consciences in their choice both to elect President-elect Biden and to support reproductive health care,ā€ she said.

In the election, 50% of Catholic voters backed Trump and 49% favored Biden, according to VoteCast, a survey of more than 110,000 voters nationwide conducted for The Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago.

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