A Catholic bishop has said that President Joe Biden should be disqualified from referring to himself as a "devout Catholic" due to his stance on abortion.
The Chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City said that Biden should "stop defining himself as a devout Catholic" and acknowledge that his views on abortion are not in line with the Church’s teaching.
"The president should stop defining himself as a devout Catholic and acknowledge that his view on abortion is contrary to Catholic moral teaching," Naumann told the Catholic World Report. "It would be a more honest approach from him to say he disagreed with his Church on this important issue and that he was acting contrary to Church teaching."
Naumann said that when Biden declares himself to be a devout Catholic, the bishops "have a responsibility to correct him".
"Although people have given this president power and authority, he cannot define what it is to be a Catholic and what Catholic moral teaching is," he added.
Naumann said that Biden was "usurping the role of the bishops and confusing people" by referring to himself in that way, while holding particular views on the issue.
“He’s declaring that he’s Catholic, and is going to force people to support abortion through their tax dollars," he added. "The bishops need to correct him, as the president is acting contrary to the Catholic faith.”
Last year, a US cardinal said that Biden should be denied communion over his stance on the issue. Cardinal Raymond Burke said that Biden was "not a Catholic in good standing and he should not approach to receive Holy Communion" due to his position.
He added: "I would tell him not to approach Holy Communion out of charity toward him, because that would be a sacrilege, and a danger to the salvation of his own soul.
"But also he should not approach to receive Holy Communion because he gives scandal to everyone. Because if someone says ‘well, I’m a devout Catholic’ and at the same time is promoting abortion, it gives the impression to others that it’s acceptable for a Catholic to be in favour of abortion and of course it’s absolutely not acceptable. It never has been, it never will be.”
