Nov 14, 2021 - Politics & Policy
U.S. bishops slated to debate whether Biden should receive communion
- Yacob Reyes, author of Axios Tampa Bay

Pope Francis meets President Biden at the Apostolic Palace on Oct. 29 in the Vatican. Photo: Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops this week is expected to debate whether President Biden's support for abortion rights should disqualify him from receiving communion.
Driving the news: At the organization's annual general assembly in Baltimore, the bishops are slated to vote on a document, which clarifies the meaning of "Holy Communion," Reuters writes.
- The president's support of abortion has sparked debate among bishops across the country, who believe his political positions "contradict church teaching," per Reuters.
- Biden is the first Catholic president since John F. Kennedy.
The backdrop: Last month, Biden told reporters that Pope Francis believes he should continue to receive communion, adding that the pope said he was a "good Catholic," Axios' Oriana Gonzalez writes.
- Francis has previously said that Catholic bishops should not let politics influence pastoral decisions.
- Most U.S. Catholics believe Biden should be allowed to take Communion despite his stance on abortion, according to polling by Pew Research Center.