President Joe Biden received criticism from a bishop following comments he made about abortion.
Bishop Joseph Strickland of the Catholic Diocese of Tyler, Texas, reacted to Biden’s response to a question about tax dollars and abortion.
“Catholic bishops are demanding that federal tax dollars not fund abortions,” a reporter noted.
Biden replied, “No they are not all doing that, nor is the Pope doing that.”
Reporter: "Catholic bishops are demanding that federal tax dollars not fund abortions."
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) January 30, 2023
Biden: "No they are not all doing that, nor is the Pope." pic.twitter.com/JzgXBRSZQb
Strickland reacted to the remark, tweeting, “Mr Biden can’t be allowed to twist the words of Pope Francis in this way.”
He added, “I implore the Vatican press office to emphatically clarify that Pope Francis rightly calls abortion murder. It is time to denounce Biden’s fake Catholicism.”
Mr Biden can’t be allowed to twist the words of Pope Francis in this way. I implore the Vatican press office to emphatically clarify that Pope Francis rightly calls abortion murder. It is time to denounce Biden’s fake Catholicism. https://t.co/RBEbWmczsl
— Bishop J. Strickland (@BishStrickland) January 31, 2023
On Friday, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) published a letter calling for the end to taxpayer-funded abortions.
“Protecting taxpayers from being forced to pay for abortion in violation of their conscience is a principle that has enjoyed historically broad support among Americans, regardless of their otherwise passionately divided views on the topic. It has also been life-saving,” Diocese of Arlington’s Bishop Michael Burbidge, head of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities, wrote.
He added, “Rather than funding abortion, Congress can better serve the common good by prioritizing policies that comprehensively assist women, children, and families in need in ways that will not only encourage childbirth but make it easier to welcome and raise a new child.”
In 2022, Pope Francis questioned Biden’s stance on abortion.
“A month after conception, the DNA of the fetus is already there and the organs are aligned. There is human life,” he said during an interview with Univision.
When asked about the president, the pope replied, “I leave it to [President Biden’s] conscience and that he speaks to his bishop, his pastor, his parish priest about that incoherence.”