US Roman Catholic bishops agreed on Friday to draft a statement on the meaning of holy communion which could potentially be used to deny the sacred rite to President Joe Biden because of his position on abortion.
Biden, 78, a devout Catholic who attends Mass at least once a week, supports the landmark 1973 US Supreme Court decision affirming a woman's right to an abortion.
Catholic bishops, defying appeals from the Vatican, voted at their spring general assembly to draft a formal statement on the "meaning of the Eucharist in the life of the Church."
It was approved by a vote of 168 for to 55 against with six abstentions and the statement will be discussed at their next meeting in November.
The Eucharist, also known as holy communion, is among the most sacred rituals in the Catholic church and there have been calls from some conservative church leaders to deny the sacrament to politicians who support abortion rights.
At a press conference on Thursday, Bishop Kevin Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, said the committee drafting the statement "will be looking at that whole issue of eucharistic consistency."
"That is not the task of our committee, to look at individuals," Rhoades said.
US President Joe Biden said being denied holy communion by the Catholic church is 'not going to happen' Photo: GETTY IMAGES / Drew Angerer
Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, said the planned statement "is about what we believe about the Eucharist, how to live a eucharistic life, and to go forth in service.
"We do not cut off any person from the church," Burbidge said.
It is up to each local bishop to decide who receives communion in their diocese.
In 2019, a priest at a Catholic church in South Carolina refused holy communion to Biden because of his stance on abortion.
The Catholic News Service reported in May that the Vatican had warned US bishops to proceed cautiously with policies designed "to address the situation of Catholics in public office who support legislation allowing abortion, euthanasia or other moral evils."
Biden was asked on Friday about the bishops' move and the possibility that he could be denied communion.
"That's a private matter and I don't think that's going to happen," he told reporters during a White House event on the coronavirus pandemic.
Biden's position on abortion was cited by many evangelical Christians to explain their support of the anti-abortion Donald Trump in the November US presidential election.
