President Biden on Friday sidestepped questions about a controversial proposal by U.S. Catholic bishops that could result in denying him the sacrament of communion because he supports abortion rights.
“That’s a private matter and I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Mr. Biden told reporters after a speech urging Americans to get the COVID-19 vaccination.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on Friday voted to draft guidelines possibly defining who should and should not receive the Eucharist. The move has been seen as a first step by conservative Catholic clerics to limiting serving the Eucharist to Mr. Biden and other pro-choice Catholic politicians.
Other prominent Catholic politicians who have supported abortion rights include House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, and Sen. Tim Kaine, Virginia Democrat.
The official Catholic Church position is that those who support abortion should not take Communion.
The vote, taken Thursday but revealed Friday, was 168-55 in favor of drafting the guidelines with six abstentions.
Mr. Biden’s presidency has laid bare divisions among 70.4 million American Catholics. The proposal was introduced in November after the election of Mr. Biden as the nation’s second Roman Catholic president.
