DC cardinal dings ‘cafeteria Catholic’ President Biden on abortion: ‘He picks and chooses’
Cardinal Wilton Gregory of Washington, DC, dinged President Biden on Sunday for being a “cafeteria Catholic’’ and picking and choosing what he wants to believe in, such as the right to an abortion.
Biden, 81, the second Catholic elected president, says he is personally opposed to abortion but has championed efforts to keep the procedure legal.
“I would say that he’s very sincere about his faith. But like a number of Catholics, he picks and chooses dimensions of the faith to highlight while ignoring or even contradicting other parts,” Gregory, the country’s first black cardinal, told CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
“There is a phrase that we have used in the past, a ‘cafeteria Catholic,’ you choose that which is attractive, and dismiss that which is challenging,” the high-ranking church official said.
While Biden has backed the right to terminate a pregnancy, he has largely ceded the spotlight on that issue to Vice President Kamala Harris, who has embarked on a “Reproductive Freedoms Tour.”
Harris is a Baptist. First lady Jill Biden has joined Harris in some of those efforts to push for abortion rights.
Gregory hinted that abortion was the top issue that came to mind when he talked about “cafeteria Catholics.
“Especially in terms of the life issues, there are things that he chooses to ignore, or he uses the current situation as a political pawn,” Gregory said, referring to Biden.
Biden has publicly conceded that “I’m not big on abortion.
“I’m a practicing Catholic. I don’t want abortion on demand, but I thought ‘Roe v. Wade’ was right,” Biden told supporters at a fundraiser last month.
Gregory suggested the pontiff may have previously conveyed similar frustrations to the president about abortion. Biden met with Pope Francis during the first year of his presidency.
“I would not be at all surprised to have Pope Francis have had the opportunity to speak directly to the president regarding that,” the cardinal said.
“One of the things that I think Pope Francis … does extraordinarily well, is that he engages people.”
At times, Biden has peeved his progressive flank by not being more aggressive on abortion rights and has caved to pressure on occasion as well.
For instance, during his last presidential campaign, Biden was pressured to reverse his longstanding support for the Hyde Amendment, which barred the use of federal funds for abortion procedures.
During his State of the Union address, Biden repeatedly referenced abortion by emphasizing the need to “Restore Roe,” among other talking points, but never actually used the word “abortion.”
Other prominent Catholic Democrats such as former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) have also faced similar flak for their position on abortion.
One issue involving Catholic teachings that Biden has adhered to is his opposition to the death penalty, though his administration has taken little action on that front.
The White House did not immediately respond to a Post request for comment Sunday.
