A debate is raging in the Catholic Church about "Eucharistic coherence" around president Joe Biden and whether or not he should receive Communion in light of his policy positions on abortion. The U.S. Bishops are constructing a teaching document around the Eucharist in the life of the church that could single out public figures who support legalized abortion.

Timothy O'Malley, director of education at the McGrath Institute for Church Life at Notre Dame, joins Gloria to weigh into the conversation and to discuss what Catholics actually believe about the Eucharist.

O'Malley's perspective offers some much needed nuance: on the one hand, the Eucharist is "intrinsically political" because it's a public act committing every Catholic to transforming the world in love. So, the question around president Biden receiving Communion is a legitimate one. On the other hand, if those Catholics who insist on denying Communion to the President feel vindicated or take delight in the process, it's a clear sign that perhaps they should not receive Communion themselves. The whole debate, according to O'Malley, is an invitation to each baptized person to reflect on their own Eucharistic coherence.

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Links:

PEW study: Just one-third of U.S. Catholics agree with their church that Eucharist is body, blood of Christ

Real Presence: What Does It Mean and Why Does It Matter? by Timothy P. O'Malley

A Pastoral Letter on the Human Dignity of the Unborn, Holy Communion, and Catholics in Public Life by Salvatore Joseph Cordileone, Archbishop of San Francisco

Read more from America on the debate on Eucharistic coherence here



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