New York’s Catholic Cardinal Timothy Dolan supported the priest who denied former Vice President Joe Biden Holy Communion due to the fact he openly supports abortion to the point of using taxpayer dollars to fund it.
Few days ago, a Catholic priest in South Carolina enforced the church’s code of canon law by denying Joe Biden the sacrament of Holy Communion due to his stance on abortion.
“Sadly, this past Sunday, I had to refuse Holy Communion to former Vice President Joe Biden,” Father Robert E. Morey of Saint Anthony Catholic Church told reporters. “Holy Communion signifies we are one with God, each other and the Church. Our actions should reflect that. Any public figure who advocates for abortion places himself or herself outside of Church teaching.”
on Thursday, Timothy Dolan appeared on “Fox & Friends” and said that he supports the priest’s decision while admitting he would not have done the same thing.
“I think that priest had a good point,” Dolan said. “You are publicly at odds with an issue of substance — critical substance. We’re talking about life and death in the church. You personally, out of integrity should not approach Holy Communion — because that implies that you’re in union with all the church beliefs. I never have [denied someone Holy Communion]. I’ve never had, what you might call the opportunity or never said, ‘uh-oh. Should I give him or her Holy Communion?’ It’s never come up. [It] sure could.”
“We also remember Pope Francis — ‘I personally can never judge the state of a person’s soul.’ So, it’s difficult, that’s what I’m saying. I’m not there as a tribunal, as a judge in distributing Holy Communion,” Dolan continued. “I’m there as a pastor, as a doctor of souls. So it’s difficult to make a judgment on the state of a person’s soul. My job is to help people, with clear church teaching, make a decision on the state of their soul and the repercussions of that.”
“If only saints could receive Holy Communion, we wouldn’t have anybody at Mass, including myself,” Dolan concluded.
The Daily Wire reported that during every Mass, Catholic doctrine states that the wafer and wine become the literal body and blood of Jesus Christ when a priest consecrates it. In order for a Catholic to receive Communion, they must be in a state of grace after having attended the Sacrament of Confession.
If a Catholic, usually by way of conscience, determines that they are not in a state of grace, they must refrain from receiving Holy Communion. When it comes to individuals who publicly oppose Catholic teaching (such as politicians who support abortion) priests and bishops are given full license under Canon Law to deny the person Holy Communion until they repent, for fear that they commit the sin of sacrilege if they receive what Catholics believe to be the body and blood of Christ unworthily.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan has not exactly been a hardliner on the issue of holding pro-abortion Catholic politicians accountable. Few months when New York passed the draconian abortion law that made the practice legal up until a child’s birth, he refused to excommunicate Gov. Andrew Cuomo, arguing that it should not be used as a weapon.