Politics

Joe Biden Denied Holy Communion In South Carolina Over Views On Abortion

REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

Amber Athey Podcast Columnist
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Former Vice President Joe Biden was reportedly denied Holy Communion at a South Carolina church on Sunday because of his support for abortion.

Father Robert E. Morey of Saint Anthony Catholic Church said Monday that he did not allow Biden, who attended the Catholic church’s 9 am mass, to receive communion.

“Sadly, this past Sunday, I had to refuse Holy Communion to former Vice President Joe Biden,” Morey told the Morning News in Florence, South Carolina. “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.”

A spokesperson for the Biden campaign would not confirm whether or not the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate attended the mass at St. Anthony’s.

FLORENCE, SC - OCTOBER 26: Democratic presidential candidate, former vice President Joe Biden addresses a crowd at Wilson High School on October 26, 2019 in Florence, South Carolina. Many presidential hopefuls campaigned in the early primary state over the weekend, scheduling stops around a criminal justice forum in the state capital. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

FLORENCE, SC – OCTOBER 26: Democratic presidential candidate, former vice President Joe Biden addresses a crowd at Wilson High School on October 26, 2019 in Florence, South Carolina. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

Biden, who is Catholic, has said that he personally opposes abortion but believes in Roe v. Wade, which codifies a woman’s ability to legally get an abortion. His campaign came under fire earlier this year, however, after he seemingly flipped his position on the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits taxpayer dollars from being used to fund abortions.

The former vice president was a longtime supporter of the Hyde Amendment, but after repeated pressure from progressive groups, announced in June that he would no longer support it. (RELATED: Kamala Harris Slams Biden Over His Flip-Flop On Taxpayer-Funded Abortions)

Biden is not the first Democratic politician to be denied communion over his stance on abortion. Bishop Thomas Paprocki announced in 2018 that Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin would “not to be admitted to Holy Communion until he repents of this sin,” referring to the senator’s vote against a ban on abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.