Pope urges U.S. bishops to be 'pastors,' not 'politicians' on abortion, pokes vaccine 'deniers' in the Catholic hierarchy

Pope Francis fielded questions from reporters Wednesday on his flight back to Rome from a trip to Hungary and Slovakia, including a question about the push by some conservative Catholic prelates to deny Holy Communion to President Biden, America's second Catholic president. He did not directly answer whether he believes politicians who support the legal right to abortion should be denied Communion, generally or in the U.S., but he strongly suggested he isn't in favor of treating the Eucharist that way.

The pope reiterated that Communion is "not a prize for the perfect" but rather "a gift of the presence of Jesus in the church" and said he personally has "never refused the Eucharist to anyone," even an old lady who told him afterward that he was Jewish. "The Lord wanted to reward her without my knowledge," he added. Francis reiterated the Catholic teaching that abortion is "murder" but said priests and bishops should respond to abortion rights supporters with "closeness, compassion, and tenderness," as God would. "Be pastors, and not go condemning," he said.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.