The Catholic archbishop of Washington, Wilton Cardinal Gregory, called President Joe Biden a “cafeteria Catholic” Sunday on CBS News for appearing to pick and choose aspects of the faith that are “attractive” to him.
Gregory appeared on “Face the Nation” to discuss Biden’s relatability with American Catholics as the president has previously referred to himself as a devout Catholic. CBS News host Ed O’Keefe questioned the archbishop on his thoughts, to which Gregory stated that while Biden’s faith appears “very sincere,” he “picks and chooses” dimensions to highlight. (RELATED: Biden Proclaims Easter Sunday To Be ‘Transgender Day Of Visibility’)
“In the case of the president, do you get a sense that his regular attendance and adherence to the faith resonates with American Catholics?” O’Keefe questioned.
“I would say that he’s very sincere about his faith, but like a number of Catholics, he picks and chooses dimensions of the faith to highlight while ignoring or even contradicting other parts. There is a phrase that we have used in the past, a ‘cafeteria Catholic’ — you choose that which is attractive and dismiss that which is challenging,” Gregory added.
“Or as Thomas Aquinas would say, you allow your conscience to guide you,” stated Episcopal Bishop of Washington, the Ret. Reverend Mariann Budde.
“Is there something on the menu he’s not ordering, in your view? So to speak,” O’Keefe pressed.
“I would say there are things, especially in terms of life issues, there are things that he chooses to ignore or he uses the current situation as a political pawn rather than saying, look, my church believes this,” Gregory stated.
Biden received backlash online Saturday after the White House released a press statement for “transgender day of visibility” annually occurring on March 31 which happened to be the same day as Easter Sunday this year. The White House banned religious Easter eggs for their annual Easter Egg Roll, saying that the egg designs from children cannot feature any “religious symbols” and instead were requested to draw “a snapshot of their life — a favorite activity, scenery in your state, your military family, a day-in-your life, etc.”