This coming June, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is planning to meet in order to formalize opposition to politicians who support and promote abortion. Archbishop Joseph Naumann, chair of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities, explained the bishops’ motive by noting that promoting abortion is a “grave moral evil.” He also pointed out the elephant in the room: “Because President Biden is a Catholic, it presents a unique problem for us. It can create confusion. … How can he say he’s a devout Catholic and he’s doing these things that are contrary to the church’s teaching?”

Well, partly because Biden has secular media outlets singing hosannahs for his supposed faithfulness, even bizarrely dubbing him “very Catholic.”

According to the Catholic Church’s Code of Canon Law, people “obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to holy communion." Therefore, the USCCB will vote on whether to issue a formal warning to pro-abortion Catholic politicians, like Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, against receiving communion until they change their views.

San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cardileone, who raised the issue in a letter rebuking pro-abortion politicians, contended, "If their participation in the evil of abortion is not addressed forthrightly by their pastors, this can lead Catholics (and others) to assume that the moral teaching of the Catholic Church on the inviolate sanctity of human life is not seriously held.” He further called on pastors to “warn [these politicians] that if they do not amend their lives they must answer before the tribunal of God for the innocent blood that has been shed.”

Cordileone further explained, “Because we are dealing with public figures and public examples of cooperation in moral evil, this correction can also take the public form of exclusion from the reception of Holy Communion. When other avenues are exhausted, the only recourse a pastor has left is the public medicine of temporary exclusion from the Lord’s Table. This is a bitter medicine, but the gravity of the evil of abortion can sometimes warrant it. I tremble that if I do not forthrightly challenge Catholics under my pastoral care who advocate for abortion, both they and I will have to answer to God for innocent blood.”

Of course, to the Leftmedia “experts” who declared Biden to be the “most religiously observant” president in half a century, this is all much ado about nothing. They claim it’s simply the result of “a rising group of right-wing” Catholic bishops who should be seeking “compromise to work on the many issues on which the church agrees with Biden, such as refugees and immigration and poverty.”

We’ll pardon the bishops if they don’t take advice on faith and practice from Beltway journalist hacks.