Covering a niche beat can be difficult when it comes to explaining the nuances of a complicated story, especially one involving religion, politics and the #USCCB. Bishops today are *not* voting on whether President Biden or any other Catholic can receive Communion. 1/
They are voting on whether to begin the process of drafting a formal statement about the Eucharist, which, if approved, is at least five months away from being published. 2/
Supporters of the document point to recent polling showing large numbers of Catholics don’t understand/don’t believe the church’s teaching that the Eucharist is the literal body and blood of Christ. 3/
Some Catholic conservatives, including some bishops, want to include a section in the proposed future statement about public figures who disagree on church teaching, especially on abortion, and reiterate that their position bars them from Communion. 4/
Other Catholics fear this statement could be used to pressure individual bishops to bar pro-choice Catholic political leaders, including President Biden and Speaker Pelosi, from receiving Communion. Even some bishops who are vocally pro-life don’t want this confrontation. 5/
But ultimately, the decision on who can receive Communion rests with an individual bishop, not a bishops conference. There will not and cannot be a vote by the bishops conference on whether an individual believer is able to receive Communion. 6/
President Biden’s bishop in DC, Cardinal Wilton Gregory, has said he will not go down the path of barring politicians from Communion and while the newly appointed Delaware bishop has not made an explicit statement, he seems to lean in a similar direction. 7/
None of this is to say there won’t be news from this week’s meeting. There will be. 8/
The public debate shows a split in the bishops conference. The earlier intervention from Rome on the issue shows the Vatican has concerns with U.S. church leadership. And there are of course political considerations given Biden is a church-going Catholic. 9/
But the story isn’t nearly as simple as, “Bishops to vote on banning Biden from communion.” It's actually more interesting than that. 10/10
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