Cardinal Burke Says "Joe Biden is Not a Catholic in Good Standing," Should Not Receive Communion

Cardinal Raymond Burke contradicts the claim that Joe Biden is a “devout Catholic” in a recent interview.

In an interview with Thomas McKenna of Catholic Action for Faith and Family, Cardinal Burke says Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is “not a Catholic in good standing,” due to his pro-abortion position.

“Joe Biden has a record of voting consistently in favor of infanticide and abortion, and even now he says he wants to oblige, if elected, the Little Sisters of the Poor to include [contraception] in their healthcare,” McKenna begins.

“He says he is a practicing Catholic, but he is consistently, 100 percent in favor of abortion, as is his colleague [Kamala Harris].

“What would your eminence say to him today regarding coming to the sacraments, specifically Holy Communion? And is he a Catholic in good standing?”

Here’s Cardinal Burke’s response:

“Certainly [Joe Biden] is not a Catholic in good standing and he should not approach to receive Holy Communion.”

“This is not a political statement. I do not intend to get involved in recommending any candidate for office, but simply to state that a Catholic may not support abortion in any shape or form because it is one of the most grievous sins against human life, and it is always considered to be intrinsically evil, and therefore, to in any way support the act is a mortal sin.”

“The person in question has not only been actively supporting procured abortion in our country, but has announced publicly that he intends to extend, [or] make the practice of procured abortion available to everyone in the widest possible form. And to repeal the restrictions on this practice, which have been put in place.

“I would tell him not to approach Holy Communion out of charity toward him because that would be a sacrilege, because he is endangering his own soul. But also, he should not approach to receive Holy Communion because he gives scandal to everyone.

“If someone says, ‘I’m a devout Catholic,’ but at the same time promotes abortion, it gives the impression to others that it’s acceptable for a Catholic to be in favor of abortion. And of course, it is absolutely not acceptable. It never has been and never will be.”

Cardinal Burke later adds, “Catholics going around announcing themselves as pious Catholics and being 100 percent in favor of abortion, give a great scandal.”