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New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan Backs Up Priest Who Denied Communion to Biden

Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images
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By Tré Goins-Phillips
Editor

November 1, 2019

The Catholic priest in South Carolina who recently denied former Vice President Joe Biden communion over his endorsement of abortion has found support from New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan.

Joe Biden Denied Communion Over His Stance on Abortion

Although Dolan said during an interview on “Fox & Friends” he wouldn’t have withheld communion from Biden, he supports Father Robert Morey’s decision to do so during services over the weekend at Saint Anthony Catholic Church in Florence.

“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.”

He continued, “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.”

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Dolan did add, though, it’s difficult “to make a judgment on the state of a person’s soul,” noting he’s “a doctor of souls” and not a “judge.”

“My job is to help people, with clear church teaching, make a decision on the state of their soul and the repercussions of that,” the cardinal said. “If only saints could receive Holy Communion, we wouldn’t have anybody at Mass, including myself.”

Explaining his decision to deny communion to Biden, Morey said the sacrament “signifies we are one with God, each other and the Church,” and because Biden’s pro-abortion views are in contradiction to the church’s pro-life theology, he was unable to offer communion to the 2020 presidential candidate.

He went on to say he plans to pray for Biden.

Over the summer, Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke described the denial of communion to those who support abortion as “a favor.” Because if they did choose to participate in communion while holding views antithetical to Catholic teaching, “they commit sacrilege.”

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