Bishops OK Communion document, avoid direct rebuff to Biden

By PETER SMITH
Associated Press

BALTIMORE (AP) — U.S. Catholic bishops have overwhelmingly approved a document on Communion that stops short of calling for withholding the sacrament from politicians who support abortion rights, such as President Joe Biden. The measure does offer plenty of tacit justification for individual bishops to consider withholding Communion in such cases, however. The document is not a national policy but says bishops have a responsibility to address cases where Catholics act “at variance” with church teaching and unity. It was approved by a 222-8 vote at the fall assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Baltimore.