Archbishop Gregory by Romanuspontifex / Wikimedia Commons
CV NEWS FEED // Cardinal Wilton Gregory called President Joe Biden a “cafeteria Catholic … especially in terms of the life issues,” during a Sunday CBS News appearance.
“I would say that [Biden is] very sincere about his faith but, like a number of Catholics, he picks and chooses dimensions of the faith to highlight,” stated Gregory, the archbishop of Washington, DC.
The cardinal clarified that Biden does this “while ignoring or even contradicting other parts” of the Catholic faith.
“There is a phrase that we have used in the past – a ‘cafeteria Catholic,’” he added. “You choose that which is attractive and dismiss that which is challenging.”
“I would say there are things, especially in terms of the life issues … that [Biden] chooses to ignore or he uses the current situation as a political pawn rather than saying, look, my Church believes this,” Gregory continued:
He does attend church regularly with great, you know, devotion. But he also steps aside some of the hot-button issues or uses the hot-button issues as a political tool, which it’s not – it is not the way I think we would want our faith to be used.
The issues of life begin at the very beginning and they conclude at natural death, and you can’t – you can’t pick and choose. You’re either one who respects life, and all of its dimensions, or you have to step aside and say “I’m not pro-life, I’m, you know, in one side of the equation I feel that I could support this dimension of life, but in others, I would step aside.”
Shortly after Biden first took office in 2021, Gregory indicated that he would allow Biden to continue receiving Holy Communion in the Archdiocese of Washington.
He also expressed support for “delaying” discussions among the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) over whether to deny the Eucharist to Biden and other pro-abortion self-professed Catholic politicians.
The Associated Press (AP) then reported:
Gregory was one of nearly 70 bishops who signed a letter to USCCB president and Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez urging him to delay the Communion discussion until the bishops convene in person, but that request was not granted.
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Recent polls consistently show Biden trailing former President Donald Trump, often by several points.
Gregory’s comments come after Biden and his administration openly embraced aggressive pro-abortion rhetoric.
Just over two weeks ago, Biden running mate Vice President Kamala Harris became the first sitting member of a presidential administration in American history to visit an abortion facility.
At the time, CatholicVote reported that Harris referred to the Minneapolis Planned Parenthood facility as
a “health care clinic” and said she was there “to uplift the work that is happening in Minnesota as an example of what true leadership looks like.”
“[I]t is only right and fair that people have access to the health care they need, and they have access to healthcare in an environment where they are treated with dignity and respect,” Harris said.
“And please do understand that when we talk about a clinic such as this it is absolutely about healthcare and reproductive healthcare,” she added.
>> VP HARRIS VISITS MINNESOTA PLANNED PARENTHOOD FACILITY <<
Less than a week earlier, Biden made underscoring his support for abortion a centerpiece of his heavily scrutinized 2024 State of the Union address.
The Catholic News Agency (CNA) noted that in the speech, Biden “vowed to implement a Roe v. Wade-style national abortion rule if given the chance in a second term.”
In his address, Biden said “I believe Roe v. Wade got it right.”
“[M]y predecessor came to office determined to see Roe v. Wade overturned,” Biden added. “[Trump is] the reason it was overturned. In fact, he brags about it.”
Multiple prominent Catholics argued that Biden’s statements during the speech amounted to scandal.
Fr. Thomas Petri, OP, then wrote on X (formerly Twitter):
It’s remarkable that a Catholic president of the United States can openly say he is pro-abortion and actively work to secure abortion access in the country, and yet there is no obvious consequence for his communion with the Church of Jesus Christ.
“That he could say parents should be able to abort children with disabilities and still present himself as a faithful Catholic is scandalous,” Petri went on. “I pray his pastor(s) are addressing this with him, and seeking his conversion.”
