The Catholic Church and a Biden/Harris Administration

The outcome of the 2016 presidential election caused worlds to collide. The disbelief and repercussions were felt around the globe. According to most polls, the media, and any other source you looked to, Hillary Clinton was a definite shoo-in, and Donald Trump was a joke. When taking office, President Trump shook up Washington, D.C. and the swamp, like no other before him; domestic and international affairs, social and cultural conventions were disregarded and relegated to the back burner for a more conservative approach.

History will show the 2020 election as having a somewhat similar impact on the nation, but with an emphasis more on political and ideological dogma and not the winner. The perceived inevitable prospect of a Biden/Harris administration and its ramifications on issues has already had for many a negative effect.

The disappointment of the president’s disheartened supporters is tantamount to their disgust and ambivalence toward a Biden/Harris administration. But like the misery of so many, was the reaction among those of the Catholic faith and the hierarchy of the church. The outrage began with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) congratulatory statement to Biden-Harris for their presumed victory, even though the election had not yet been certified and investigations into voter fraud in battleground states were still in progress.

Several days after the November 3 election, the bishops issued a press release stating “We recognize that Joseph R. Biden has received enough votes to be elected the 46^th president of the United States. We congratulate Mr. Biden and acknowledge that he joins the late President John F. Kennedy as the second United States president to profess the Catholic faith. We also congratulate Senator Kamala D. Harris of California who became the first woman ever elected vice president.

The immediate protest by pro-life groups was swift and severe, knowing that both candidates are abortion extremists and will seek to permit federal funding of abortions and to also codify this barbaric life-ending procedure into federal law. There were also the comments by Cardinal Wilton Gregory of Washington D.C. who stated that he would not deny the Eucharist to Biden, whereas Bishop Joseph Strickland criticized Biden and would deny him receiving the Eucharist.

Bishop Strickland of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas is an avid family-values and strong pro-life voice. The bishop’s denouncement was not only directed at Biden, but also at the USCCB, when he stated on Twitter “A dark cloud has descended on this nation when the USCCB and Planned Parenthood speak in unison of a Biden/Harris administration that supports the slaughter of innocents by abortion for the nine months of pregnancy.”

The American Life League (ALL) issued a scathing statement that read in part how some bishops apparently had no problem with Catholic politicians “Spitting in the face of Christ,” and added, “We were dumbfounded because it is not clear that the Biden/Harris team has actually won. Pro-abortion politicians like these two should be reprimanded by the USCCB, not congratulated. The USCCB’s rush to curry favor with pro-aborts has not only saddened us, but has left us disturbed.” They also thanked Bishop Strickland for his statement.
 
Following the fallout from the bishop’s statement, the USCCB announced that it will form a task force to address the political agenda of a Biden administration, and if it will be antithetical to Catholic doctrine and teaching. The president of the USCCB, Bishop Jose’ Gomez of Los Angeles was quoted as having stated, “We are facing a unique moment in the history of our country.”

The bishop continued commenting on the fact that Biden is the first Catholic elected president since Kennedy, and that this “presents certain opportunities, but also certain challenges.” And he predicted that Biden “Will support policies that are against some fundamental values we hold dear as Catholics, but has given us reasons to believe his faith commitments will lead to certain policies that we favor, such as aid to refugees.”

It is clear that the hierarchy of the Catholic Church in the United States is at odds. What then are the 62 million faithful to think, when even the leaders of their church cannot agree on the preeminence of this one life issue, abortion, where there should be no compromise or equivocation?

Hopefully, more of the bishops, priests, laity, and pro-life groups will speak out in defense of the unborn. And should the Biden administration and all other Catholic politicians promote and defend abortion, especially the most radical and extreme methods of this barbaric procedure, then the hierarchy of the church should seriously consider excommunication for these heretics.