Recognizing the need for clarifying this issue, the bishops fulfilled their pastoral role by suggesting a teaching document on pre-existing doctrine regarding Holy Communion. The doctrine would remind Catholics that they must be in a state of grace to be spiritually prepared to meet our Lord in the Sacrament of Holy Communion.
According to church teachings, those who do not receive Communion in a state of grace commit a mortal sin, which is eternally damning if not confessed in the Sacrament of Penance before death.
Given this context, priests are doing Catholics like Biden a favor when they refuse to give them Communion, because they are ensuring these individuals do not commit the additional grave sin of sacrilege.
This shouldn’t be shocking or inflammatory. Yet the outrage following the bishops’ statement was deafening.
The attacks on so-called “traditional” Catholicism are nothing new to the American political landscape, where Catholics who follow the teachings of their faith are increasingly viewed as incompatible with public life.
John F. Kennedy faced anti-Catholic bigotry during the 1960 presidential election. His famous speech at the Greater Houston Ministerial Association ultimately changed the course of his campaign when he emphasized his role as an American over his identity as a Catholic, and the importance of separating church and state.
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