SC Priest Wouldn't Give Biden Communion

Joe Biden went to church in Florence, South Carolina, on Sunday, but the Catholic was denied Holy Communion. Now, the priest who made that choice is explaining why, and it all boils down to Biden's abortion stance. As "a priest, it is my responsibility to minister to those souls entrusted to my care, and I must do so even in the most difficult situations," Fr. Robert Morey of Saint Anthony Catholic Church told the Morning News via email. "I will keep Mr. Biden in my prayers."

Morey added that "Holy Communion signifies we are one with God, each other, and the Church. Our actions should reflect that. Any public figure who advocates for abortion places himself or herself outside of Church teaching." In the Morning News' view, Biden's stance on abortion is "unclear." In 1974 he said he didn't "think that a woman has the sole right to say what should happen to her body," but this year he described his current view: that abortion is something to be decided on by a "woman and her doctor." USA Today reports that in 2007 he wrote that he is personally opposed to it but unwilling to force that view onto others. CNN reports Biden was asked about the incident Tuesday on MSNBC and simply said, "I am not going to discuss that. That is just my personal life." (In June Biden changed his stance on federal funding for abortion.)