A reporter put this question to President Joe Biden today: “Catholic bishops are demanding that federal tax dollars not fund abortions.”
Biden responded, saying, “No they are not all doing that, nor is the Pope“:
President Biden cites Pope to claim federal funding for abortions should continue.
Pope Francis: ”Is it licit to throw away a life to resolve a problem? Is it licit to hire a hitman to resolve a problem?”
— Bree A Dail (@breeadail) January 31, 2023
Readers know well that I’m not the pope’s biggest fan in the Catholic Church. He’s made more than a few wobbly statements. Be that as it may, Biden’s position is an absurdity. The pope has routinely compared procuring an abortion to “hiring a hitman.” He has routinely said that the Gospel’s call to care for the marginalized and inconvenient necessarily demands care for the unborn child.
In 2014, Francis said, “Scientifically it’s a human life. The textbooks teach us that. But is it right to take it out to solve a problem? This is why the Church is so strict on this issue because accepting this is kind of like accepting daily murder.”
Unfortunately, I doubt the Vatican will issue a statement correcting our president. But they have every right, and a compelling reason to do so.