Is Joe Biden a Catholic? It depends on who you ask
(ANALYSIS) A pointed, political tweet from the bishop of Providence, Rhode Island sparked an unexpected backlash this week.
“Biden-Harris. First time in awhile that the Democratic ticket hasn’t had a Catholic on it. Sad,” wrote Bishop Thomas Tobin Aug. 11 after the Biden campaign announced that Kamala Harris would be the former vice president’s running mate for the 2020 presidential election.
Biden is a baptized Catholic and has made his faith a cornerstone of his bid for the presidency, often referring to his faith as a guide in his decision making and a source of comfort in the tragedies he has faced in his life.
The tweet is only the latest in a long series of skirmishes on the authenticity of Biden’s faith and his adherence or lack of to the Catholic Church’s teachings.
The meaning then is clear— Tobin’s tweet was a critique not of Biden’s status of baptism within the Church, but of his policies, which often run directly in opposition to the Church’s teachings on social and ethical issues.
Biden’s campaign website features his faith testimonial: “I’m a practicing Catholic,” Biden says. “I believe faith is a gift. And the first obligation we all have is, ‘Love your God,’ the second one is, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ … ‘Treat people with dignity.’ Everyone’s entitled to dignity, that’s a basic tenet in my household.”
Last week, President Donald Trump accused Biden of being harmful towards America’s religious values, saying that a Biden presidency would have “no religion, no anything… Hurt the Bible. Hurt God. He’s against God," Trump said.
The president’s statements drew fire from the left, which claimed that Trump’s attack on Biden’s religious values were offensive and misplaced.
“Joe Biden is a devout Catholic and regularly attends Sunday service,” tweeted the Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump PAC. “The last time Trump went to church, he gassed peaceful Americans”.
The debate raged even among Catholic clergymen, resulting in a mixed message with little conformity in opinion.
Fr. James Martin, a priest popular in the media for his advocacy for LGBTQ rights within the Church, said, “Mr. Biden is a baptized Catholic. Thus, he is a Catholic.”
Catholic priest and religious author Fr. Dwight Longenecker took issue with Fr. Martin’s statement, writing a formal response on his blog “correcting” the Jesuit priest.
“A good number of commenters have pointed out that if Biden is Catholic simply by being baptized so is that other Uncle Joe…Stalin,” Fr. Longeneckers wrote. “For that matter Adolph Hitler was a baptized Catholic and the list could go on of those who were baptized Catholics who turned out to be the most horrible criminals and psychopaths the world has ever seen.”
“So is Joe Biden Catholic?” Longenecker continued. “Yes, because he is baptized and confirmed as a Catholic. However, the question remains, ‘What kind of Catholic is Joe Biden?’ We’re not to judge the state of anyone’s soul, but one can judge public actions and formal policies of a politician. Therefore it is important for all Catholics to ask what kind of Catholic Joe Biden might be.”
Fr. Jeremy Zipple, a Jesuit priest in Belize, came to Biden’s defense, posting a photo of the two together while Biden served as vice-president under Obama.
“In ‘09 VP Biden showed up unannounced at a fundraiser for Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Catholic org that sends young folks to live & serve in low income communities,” Fr. Zipple tweeted with a photo of the two. “JVC operates on thin margins & his presence was a big boast. He was very kind & stayed a long time.”
Fr. Zipple continued, writing, “It’s good for Catholics to critique his positions vis a vis church teaching, abortion & everything else. But don’t say he’s a ‘fake Catholic’—Biden is not only baptized but active in his faith (& the Pope himself gave him communion!)”
In October of last year, Biden attended Mass at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Florence, South Carolina while on the campaign trail. When Biden approached the parish priest, Fr. Robert Morey, to receive communion towards the end of the service with the rest of the worshippers, he was denied the Eucharist.
“Sadly, this past Sunday, I had to refuse Holy Communion to former Vice President Joe Biden,” Fr. Morey told the Florence Morning News. “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.”
Fr. Morey said that he would “keep Mr. Biden in [his] prayers.”
In an interview with MSNBC, Biden refused to comment on the censure placed on him at the Mass, saying, “I’m not going to discuss that, that’s my personal life and I’m not going to get into that at all.”
Cardinal Raymond Burke, one of the most prominent Catholic clergymen in the American Catholic Church, was interviewed in January of this year about the incident on Fox News. When asked what he thought of Biden’s pro-choice position, Cardinal Burke responded conclusively against Biden.
"Well, no devout Catholic, no practicing Catholic can be in favor of abortion, can justify voting for legislation policies that promote abortion, and [Biden] has a consistent record of being pro-abortion."
Burke continued, "And so, you can't say why privately I think it's wrong -- imagining he means by that as a Catholic he thinks it's wrong -- but then in his public life that he can act as if it's not morally evil. It's one of the greatest moral evils."
Previously, Bishop Joseph Francis Martino, head of Biden’s own childhood Diocese of Scranton, took a similar stand against the Catholic politician. Martino told the local press that he would not administer the Eucharist to Biden due, again, to the Democratic politician’s pro-choice policies.
Biden released a statement last week in response to Trump’s criticisms of his faith. In it, Biden once again affirmed his Catholic self-identification and called the Church the “bedrock foundation” of his life.
"Like so many people, my faith has been the bedrock foundation of my life: it's provided me comfort in moments of loss and tragedy, it's kept me grounded and humbled in times of triumph and joy,” he wrote. “And in this moment of darkness for our country -- pain, of division, and of sickness for so many Americans -- my faith has been a guiding light for me and a constant reminder of the fundamental dignity and humanity that God has bestowed upon all of us.”
Timothy Nerozzi is a reporter and editor from northeastern Pennsylvania. He covers religious issues with a focus on the Catholic Church and Japanese society and culture. He’s also a breaking news editor at The Daily Caller.