U.S. President Biden says Pope told him he should keep receiving Communion
Reuters
Published Oct 29, 2021 10:38AM ET
Updated Oct 29, 2021 03:15PM ET
ROME (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden said on Friday that Pope Francis had told him he should keep receiving Communion, amid fierce debate in the U.S. Church over Biden's position on abortion.
Biden has come under pressure from conservatives at home and his most ardent critics in the U.S. Church hierarchy have said he should be banned from receiving communion, the central sacrament of the faith.
Asked if the topic of abortion came up during a long meeting with pope in the Vatican earlier on Friday, Biden said no. He said the pope told him he was happy he was a good Catholic and he should "keep receiving communion".
The president, who goes to weekly Mass regularly and keeps a picture of the pope behind his desk in the Oval Office, has said he is personally opposed to abortion but cannot impose his views as an elected leader.
Last month, asked about the U.S. communion debate, the pope told reporters that abortion is "murder". But he also appeared to criticise U.S. Catholic bishops for dealing with the issue in a political rather than a pastoral way.
Get The News You Want
Written By: Reuters
Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.