While President Joe Biden touts himself as a devout Catholic, his public stances on abortion and same-sex marriage are contrary to Catholic Church teaching. But despite this, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI apparently still believes that Biden is following his faith.
During an interview with Corriere della Sera (an Italian daily newspaper), Benedict hedged on whether the newly inaugurated president is out of step with the Catholic Church, claiming that personally, Biden is "observant" of its teachings.
“It’s true, he’s Catholic and observant and personally he is against abortion,” Benedict said.
He also stated that “But as president, he tends to present himself in continuity with the line of the Democratic Party, and on gender politics we have not yet fully understood what his position is.”
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Benedict’s view stands in stark contrast to that of Archbishop Joseph Naumann, Archbishop of Kansas City and chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Pro-Life Activities. Naumann had stated in an interview with The Catholic World Report that Biden was not observing his faith at all due to his stance on abortion.
“The president should stop defining himself as a devout Catholic, and acknowledge that his view on abortion is contrary to Catholic moral teaching," Naumann said. "It would be a more honest approach from him to say he disagreed with his Church on this important issue and that he was acting contrary to Church teaching.”