Pope Francis appears to be a big supporter of President Joe Biden.
A majority of the U.S. Catholic bishops are not.
At least that’s a prominent narrative concerning America’s second Catholic president (after John F. Kennedy).
To wit: The headline on a Los Angeles Times news story this week declared: “Pope Francis is a Biden fan, but some U.S. Catholic leaders give president a frosty reception.”
My sincere question: Is it accurate to characterize Francis as a Biden fan?
“While Pope Francis has enjoyed a warm relationship with Biden from time spent together in both the U.S. and at the Vatican, it would be wrong to classify him as a partisan player in U.S. politics,” Christopher White, national correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter, told me. “His approach to any world leader is to try to find common ground and see where there’s work to be done together.”
Clemente Lisi analyzes Catholic news for Religion Unplugged.
“I’d say the pope seems cordial to Biden, and the two have met a few times,” Lisi said in response to my question. “There seems to be a fascination in the media to lump these two men together.”
The Los Angeles Times is, of course, just the latest major news outlet to contrast the difference in tone between how the Vatican and top U.S. bishops — notably Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez — have greeted Biden’s inauguration.
The prominent West Coast paper suggests:
The rift stems from opposition by many in the church to abortion and same-sex marriage, while others see a broader interpretation of the sanctity of life, promoted by Francis, to include climate change, immigration and fighting poverty.
Biden “keeps a picture in the Oval Office of himself with Pope Francis,” the story notes. But does that picture mean as much to Francis? The paper doesn’t say.
JD Flynn is editor-in-chief and cofounder of The Pillar, which publishes news and analysis on the Catholic Church.
Flynn offered this take on the Los Angeles Times headline:
I think it is either wishful thinking or a misunderstanding of the papacy, and of this pope in particular, to identify him as a "fan" of any politician. Pope Francis has been cordial and conciliatory to Biden, as is the Holy See's custom with political leaders around the globe. He will doubtlessly find common ground with him, but the pope will not be shy about points of serious disagreement with the Biden administration either. The mistake is to think that the pope's personal warmth and human touch is an unfettered endorsement of a figure with whom he will have decidedly more nuanced and complex engagements, as is appropriate for two world leaders. To speak about the pope as a "fan" misses all of that. It also means missing an important aspect of the story about Biden's politics and his Catholicism, which is the way in which a triangulated relationship between the Vatican, the White House and the U.S. bishops' conference will play out. Religiously informed journalists should be on the edge of their seats to cover that, while the L.A. Times seems to have called the game in the first inning.
Speaking of Biden’s faith, his approach to religion came up in his first White House interview — for a People magazine cover story by Sandra Sobieraj Westfall:
Given the stakes in the pandemic and the economic crisis, do you lean into prayer to help you lead?
President Biden: I don't want to proselytize. My religion, for me, is a safe place. I never miss mass, because I can be alone. I mean, I'm with my family but just kind of absorbing the fundamental principle that you've got to treat everyone with dignity. Jill, when she wants me to get a real message, she tapes it on the mirror above the sink where I shave. And she put up a great quote from Kierkegaard saying, "Faith sees best in the dark." Other people may meditate. For me, prayer gives me hope, and it centers me.
Power Up: The Week’s Best Reads
1. Appalachian snake handlers put their faith in God — and increasingly, doctors: Veteran religion writer Julia Duin literally wrote the book on “the latest generation of Pentecostal believers who ‘take up’ venomous snakes as a test of their religious faith.”
In this newly published piece for National Geographic, Duin reports that a series of high-profile deaths has some Christian snake handlers “rethinking their approach to a risky practice.”
2. Unholy war: Is #DezNat an online platform for defending the LDS Church or a launching pad for extremists?: Longtime Salt Lake Tribune religion writer Peggy Fletcher Stack delves into a hashtag that “enlists loosely aligned, self-appointed warriors to defend the doctrines and practices of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
CONTINUE READING: “President Biden Is A Fan Of Pope Francis, But Is Francis A Fan Of Biden?”, by Bobby Ross, Jr., at Religion Unplugged.