I don’t consider President Joe Biden to be a true Catholic.
I grew up in the Catholic Church, which you may have guessed by my very Irish surname. Admittedly, some things about the Church are still a mystery to me. I’m no Biblical scholar, and I can’t detail every Catholic ritual. I’m rather unremarkable in being especially ‘good’ at any form of Christianity, often half-jokingly saying, “I expect to be in Heaven, just with really bad seats.”
I wouldn’t disqualify anyone as a person of faith based on sinful actions, I expect imperfection. That doesn’t mean they are not a believer. So, what does make one “a believer,” exactly?
Well, their beliefs.
The part of the faith that is clear to me is the beliefs required to be a Catholic. Very simply, if an individual does not believe the ideas in the Apostles’ Creed or Nicene Creed, then they don’t believe what Catholics believe. And, therefore, they’re not a real Catholic.
For reference, here is the Nicene Creed. I’ve made the parts bold that pertain to God as the Creator.
I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
President Joe Biden’s pro-abortion stances cannot be rectified with the basic Catholic beliefs outlined in those Creeds. That God is the Creator, he created Heaven and Earth, the seen and unseen, and is the Giver of Life. These concepts aren’t supposed to be hard to understand, so I won’t make them out to be. I don’t believe that Biden believes God is the Giver of Life and Creator of all things if he isn’t morally opposed to abortion.
Somewhat unsurprisingly, Biden was denied communion in a Catholic church because of his pro-abortion beliefs in 2019.
The priest at Saint Anthony Catholic Church in Florence, Father Robert Morey, told the Florence Morning News that he had refused to offer Biden communion because,
Any public figure who advocates for abortion places himself or herself outside of Church teaching.
And, for the record, a pro-life stance in the Church isn’t a modern one that came about during Roe. The teachings can be traced back to the first century.
Biden had a rough day with Christians and Catholics on Saturday when he made a proclamation that “Transgender Day of Awareness” would be declared on Easter Sunday, and news broke that children participating in the White House egg decorating contest would be barred from using religious imagery or themes.
On Sunday, Biden may have thought he shored up the discontent by posting an Easter statement on social media. But I beg to differ.
The statement read,
As we gather with loved ones, we remember Jesus’ sacrifice. We pray for one another and cherish the blessing of the dawn of new possibilities.
The longer I sat with this Easter statement, the more it bothered me. The statement mentions Jesus’ death and not his resurrection or eternal life. “We remember Jesus’ sacrifice” on Good Friday. We remember his Resurrection on Easter Sunday. Romans 6:9 says, “…death no longer has dominion over Him [Jesus]”
Again, it’s not a hard concept that on Easter, we don’t mourn Jesus’ death, we celebrate him literally not being dead.
The Book of Luke, Chapter 24, says, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen!”
Why is it somber?
— BrutalBrittany💕 (@BrutalBrittany2) March 31, 2024
We remember his sacrifice on Good Friday.
This statement doesn't say anything about his resurrection, just his death.
Pray for each other and cherish the dawn of what new possibilities? Like, possibly not going to Hell?
A baffling Easter statement. https://t.co/INBrIYSMiM
But, that wasn’t the only part of the statement that didn’t sit well with me. What “new possibilities” is Biden talking about? The only new possibility the resurrection brought was the possibility of eternal life over eternal condemnation. Just the one possibility.
The well-known verse, John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.”
So, just the one reason, then?
If the Biblical teachings do not open this Pandora’s Box of possibility, what could Biden mean? Personally, I was getting Pagan vibes. The “dawn of possibilities” sounds like New Year’s Day or… a change of seasons. Coupled with the floral motif, Biden’s message sounded like a celebration of Spring’s arrival after Jesus’ death. Not the arrival of salvation or eternal life. Just, the “possibilities” a new day brings. That message didn’t feel Christian to me.
And, this is America everyone has a right to their beliefs, if you want to be Pagan, you can. Just stop telling me that you are a Catholic. Also, I will concede that Christian holidays have often borrowed from other traditions, changing them to reflect other beliefs. That isn’t the point of this article, and might I add, is of little interest to me.
Before Biden’s baffling, somber Easter message of “remembering death” and Pandora’s Box of “possibilities,” I already didn’t consider him a real Catholic. I’m not gate-keeping, either. I’m just suggesting that maybe you should believe what Catholics believe before calling yourself one.
This Easter, I am reminded of a” dawn of new possibilities” where we don’t spend the Holiest Day on the Christian calendar celebrating Transgender identities, preventing children from using religious themes on their decorated eggs, or forgetting that Easter isn’t a funeral.
In the “dawn of new possibilities,” there is better luck next year.
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