On Easter Sunday, in this space, I penned an article requesting that Pope Francis intervene on behalf of Joe Biden, and correct his willingness to proclaim Easter Sunday as “Trans Day of Visibility”.
I asked, “Is there anything that the US President, nominally Catholic Joseph Biden, might do or say that would warrant a correction?” I went on to remind readers that “There isn’t much [Biden] hasn’t done, there is no Rubicon he hasn’t crossed”. Lastly, I stated the obvious, “Biden has put all clerics who support him politically in uncomfortable positions before.”
The implication of my writing was that Biden had finally done it. He had gone too far, and that there was scant more he could do to top this. I will admit that I stand corrected.
This evening, Joe Biden blessed himself at a pro-abortion event in Florida.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church Paragraph 1463 states that “Certain particularly grave sins incur excommunication, the most severe ecclesiastical penalty, which impedes the reception of the sacraments…and for which absolution consequently cannot be granted, according to canon law, except by the Pope, the bishop of the place or priests authorized by them.” God have mercy on his soul, it appears that Biden habitually commits these sins. None among us can judge the soul of a man, but his very public actions may judge themselves.
Latae Sententiae is a penalty that is inflicted ipso facto, automatically, by force of the law itself, at the very moment a law is violated. In other words, the Church holds that some sins are such a violation that the very act brings down a penalty of excommunication upon the sinner even without, or before, the ruling of the bishop of the location or the Pope himself. If subverting Easter for the LGBTQ community, and making the sign of the Cross at an abortion event do not warrant this punishment, then this sentence does not exist and the Church should eliminate this teaching.
The priests, bishops, cardinals and Popes who have allowed Catholic public personas to cross lines and make a mockery of the Faith, without the slightest correction, are to blame for this. In an effort to protect their tax-exempt status, to protect the billions of dollars that the government affords the Catholic Church, and to advance much of Biden’s agenda; immigration, taxation, the death penalty, and so forth, they have cost this man, and thousands of others, their souls. True, Biden is a doddering old man now, unaware of his actions, but this still may have been avoided by his Bishops. Instead of correcting him at any of the exit ramps on the way to perdition, they looked on as he put the pedal to the metal, even using his faith to campaign, and this final act is heartbreaking to watch. Answering my own question, there does not appear to be any action which might force Bishops to steel their spine and issue a correction. What a dereliction of duty, and woe to them upon their judgement as well.
The good news, if there is any, is that this example should not bring scandal to the community. Overall, it appears as if this instance is so breathtakingly disordered that everyone, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, senses how vile and evil this action is.
What many often describe as “making the sign of the cross” used to be called blessing one’s self. One blesses one’s self when approaching the sacred. Prayer, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Adoration, when, to the extent possible, the laity invoke the blessings of the Holy Trinity upon efforts or events.
Musicians and actors have mocked religion before. Sinead O’Connor tearing up a picture of Saint John Paul II comes immediately to mind. The Catholic Kennedy boys were known philanderers. But, this event, at its heart, is such an offense before the Lord that it calls out to God for vengeance. Biden calling down the Lord upon himself, or this gathering, is perhaps the grossest violation of any public figure in the history of the intersection of culture and religion. This is more than an embarrassment; it is the nadir for the hierarchy and influence of the Catholic Church.
This article was written by Louis Biad, a contributor to Catholics for Catholics.
STAY INFORMED ON WHAT’S HAPPENING INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE CHURCH.
Receive The Good News newsletter, a free daily resource provided by Catholics for Catholics (CforC.com). It aims to inform Catholics of the top stories happening inside and outside the Catholic Church. Covering a range of topics from religion, politics, culture, and more, the newsletter delivers news and insights from a Catholic perspective.
Click here to sign-up and stay in the loop.
Catholics for Catholics is moving hearts and minds for Jesus Christ and His Church—and inspiring a new wave of Catholicism and love of America. Use the form below to STAY CONNECTED with the fastest-growing Catholic movement across the United States.
