A South Carolina Catholic priest denied Holy Communion to presidential candidate Joe Biden on Sunday, because of the candidate’s support for legal abortion.
Fr. Robert Morey, pastor of St. Anthony Catholic Church in the Diocese of Charleston, South Carolina, denied Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden Holy Communion at Sunday Mass for his support of legal abortion, the Florence Morning News reported Monday.
“Sadly, this past Sunday, I had to refuse Holy Communion to former Vice President Joe Biden,” Morey said in a statement he sent to CNA on October 28.
“Holy Communion signifies we are one with God, each other and the Church. Our actions should reflect that. Any public figure who advocates for abortion places himself or herself outside of Church teaching,” the priest added.
According to the Florence Morning News, Morey was a lawyer for 14 years before becoming a priest, practicing law in North Carolina and working for seven years for the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.
Biden, a former senator from Delaware and the former Vice President of the United States, was campaigning in South Carolina over the weekend, the Associated Press reported.
Full story at Catholic Herald UK.
About time. Bravo Fr. Morey!
May the Lord bless and watch over this priest for the actions he took. I will keep him in my prayers and thoughts, as in these dark times . . . there will come backlash, even from his own. In my heart I know he did the right thing, the hard thing.
This is only a story due to the cowardice of many, many American bishops. And, not only Biden should be denied communion. What about Speaker Pelosi, and Senator Durbin (D-IL), among many others?
In addition to abortion legislative enablers, what about those that support homosexual marriage and homosexual adoption, among other violations of Natural Law? These, too, must be denied the sacraments, not as punishment, but as a warning that their souls are at risk by their scandalous behavior.
Individual priests should not be able to determine these things. In fact, I don’t think they are allowed to.
Are they also not allowed to determine a penitent’s penance in the sacrament of Confession? They need permission first? Not so.
It’s about time.
Oh, they certainly are. Now, the bishop may step in, but on a one-time basis, the priest did, and should. Otherwise, he’s a part, also, of the public scandal and sacrilege, and that TRUMPS what even a Pope might have to say. Could they discipline him for that? probably, but again, we must obey and serve GOD and not man.
Anon..you sound as cowardly as most of the Bishops we are stuck with
????? These things have already been determined! Do some research anon. Start with Canon Law #916. Too bad so many in the clergy are cowards, but as history has shown, Judas left many offspring.
The Vice President is not excommunicated nor is he under any other kind of interdict.
Anonymous,
Priests can certainly deny communion to someone who is unworthy. In fact, I’ve done it as a lay Eucharistic Minister. However, it is prudent and just to give the person an opportunity to make their case of innocence in the rare case of the priest being wrong.
Thank you Fr. Morey. I fear–I hope wrongly–that since you have violated all canons of political correctness, some of your brother priests will heap opprobrium on your head and call you that oh so serviceable word, “hater.” When they do, remember Jesus predicted this, and St. Paul warned as well: all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution, II Tim. 3:12. As it was with St. Thomas More: you are the king’s servant, but God’s first. Well done.
So proud of Fr Morey for defending Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, and keeping Joe Biden from harming his soul more. I hope Joe Biden goes back and reads the passages we have from St Paul’s on receiving the body of Christ in an unworthy manner. No wonder so many are sick, even dying St Paul says. Poor Joe Biden does not know this action is killing him, and Fr Morey is helping to save him. I will be keeping Fr Morey and Joes Biden in my prayers. Fr Morey will certainly be attacked by those who do not understand this holy sacrament. The recent poll in America shows many do not understand Christ’s true presence. (Side note, the demonic and Satanists know the Eucharist is truly God though). Fr Morey is our modern day St John the Baptist.. Bless him Lord for his faithfulness.
Finally, a man of God who stands for what we believe. Now let’s see our leaders follow his example. It’s a disgrace that some play politics with Catholicism.
I agree with the priest, beside there are many many Catholics that shouldnt receive the eucharist. One way of gauging this is the length of lines for Confession vs Communion. It’s the lack of belief in the “REAL” presence. Catholics are go be just that and not believers like protestants.
So happy to see this…it’s about time that these so-called Catholics be called out for their beliefs…Thank you Fr. Morey!!!! Hopefully others will step up and follow your lead!
This is an outrageous weaponization of the sacraments. Would Fr. Morey deny the Eucharist to a republican politician who claims to be a Catholic in good standing while supporting capital punishment? Many so-called pro-life politicians are really anti-abortion and not truly pro-life.
Haha. PF is changing the catechism to make capital punishment “inadmissable”. (What ever that means) Biden is a supporter of murder in the womb. You know, the fifth commandment. He is an obstinate impenitent.
The rest of your “what about – ism” is unworthy of response.
You can thank weak cardinals and bishops like Wuerl and Mccarrick who gave in on this a decade ago.
It’s going to be up to us the lay people to save the Church not the Curia. We need more St Francis and St Catherine of Sienna.
Pray for Mr. Biden’s conversion. What a powerful “statement” that would be! His support for killing unborn babies and forcing taxpayers to pay for it is so public that his repentance would have to be equally as public (even if “mainstream” news failed to cover it). I know of no Catholic politician who, while either in office or seeking office, became any less pro-abortion after being spoken to privately by his or her bishop. (One did repent after leaving office and retiring from public life.) Two Saints confronted political leaders (a king and an emperor) publicly about their grave sins and both repented. They, like others, did not want the Communion “rail” to be a place of confrontation. So, they met them at the church doors and prohibited them from entering! At least Mr. Biden, Ms. Pelosi and others can hear the Word of God and repent (and go to Confession), before approaching for Holy Communion.
Thank you so much, Fr. Morey! May God bless you and our Blessed Mother protect you always!
I love to see a clergyman with a heart and a backbone!
I was so thrilled to see this priest’s disciplinary action for Biden! Abortion is MURDER!! Our entire Church has so badly needed Christ’s objective, true teaching, and corrective discipline, since the end of the Council! That is more important than anything! Otherwise– the Catholic Church is dishonest– living a lie to Christ!
Joe Biden said that the Pope gives him Holy Communion! And NY Cardinal Dolan said he would not deny Holy Communion to anyone! This is all WRONG!!
It is interesting that a priest can deny Holy Communion to a parishioner based on the person’s opinions. It is not known if Mr. Biden has ever directly aided a woman in procuring an abortion. It is ironic that Mr. Biden is held to this standard when, for many years, priests and bishops celebrated Mass and consumed the Body and Blood of the Lord before or after molesting innocent children – sometimes in the sacristy adjacent to the sanctuary! The Catholic Church is rotten to the core – which is why I left it several years ago.
Tell Biden to go to California, even the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence can receive Holy Communion.
Joe Biden needs prayers not votes.
It is not wise for any politician to speak of “values” when they have none, and many do not. Some would sell their own mother for a vote, or maybe worse — the bodies of aborted children.
Canon 915 is the touchstone for this contretemps and all should read it before commenting. I am glad I did — even though it was necessary to get a true picture of the issues.
Jesus knew that Judas Iscariot was going to betray him and yet He included him in the First Eucharist Ever. As bad as Judas was, he did not add the sin of sacrilege to his resume. Canon 915 requires that the unpenitent recipient’s sinful conduct be “notorious” — that is, known to the outside — before being refused Communion, Mr. Biden’s conduct was certainly that — otherwise Fr. Morey would not have done what he did to protect the Eucharist AND the penitent from adding sacrilege to the list of confessiionable activity. Pray for both of them; we are all sinners and only God saves us from ourselves every day.