Our Catholic friends are struggling with political conflicts. Six of the nine current Supreme Court Justices are Catholics, as are President Biden, the Speaker of the House, and many other government officials. One of the Catholic political conflicts is allowing the president to participate in the Eucharist because of his position on abortion.
Previously, Biden said he believed that life begins at conception. Now he supports abortion and the repeal of the Hyde Amendment. (The Hyde Amendment bans federal funding for most abortions.) Pope Francis waded into the Catholic political conflicts by saying, “The Eucharist is not the reward of saints, it is the bread of sinners.” This seems to be at odds with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and indicates some strife within modern Catholicism. In the 2020 election, Catholic voters cast 20% of the votes, so they play a significant role in American politics.
The wisdom of Jesus in telling his followers to separate politics from His spiritual message (Matthew 22:21) is demonstrated in current Catholic political conflicts. As a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and living in the shadow of that school, I have seen the struggles that result from mixing religion and politics.
Our primary concern about the Catholic political conflicts is the domino effect of the struggles. Many people leaving Catholicism separate themselves from any kind of religious faith. God’s word is the real answer for how we should live. Read Matthew 5–7 and see what authentic Christianity is. Read Acts 2:14-42 and see the message Peter gave to seeking people. This is the same Peter that Catholicism looks to as the founder of their faith. However, Peter would not have recognized much of what is practiced by many Catholics today.
— John N. Clayton © 2021
References: The Week for July 2, 2021, page 16 and Time for July 5/July 12, 2021, page 10.