Catholic bishop slams Biden for making 'a mockery of our Catholic faith' with 'sacrilegious' gesture

A Catholic bishop is calling out President Joe Biden.

Thomas Paprocki, bishop of the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois, released a video last week accusing Biden, who identifies as Catholic, of making "a mockery of our Catholic faith" when he made the sign of the cross at a pro-abortion campaign event last month.

'Make no mistake: God is not mocked, for a person will reap only what he sows.'

"Making the sign of the cross is one of the most profound gestures a Catholic can make in showing reverence for Christ’s death on the cross and belief in the Holy Trinity as we sign ourselves in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit," Bishop Paprocki said.

"To misuse this sacred gesture is to make a mockery of our Catholic faith," he explained.

Bishop Paprocki said he agrees with a fellow bishop, José Ignacio Munilla of Spain, who said that by making the sign of the cross in apparent support of abortion, Biden is guilty of making a "sacrilegious" gesture that constitutes "the desecration of the sign of the cross."

An increasing number of Catholic leaders are speaking out against Biden.

On Easter Sunday, Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the archbishop of Washington, slammed Biden as a "cafeteria Catholic."

"I would say that he's very sincere about his faith, but like a number of Catholics, he picks and chooses dimensions of the faith to highlight while ignoring or even contradicting other parts," Gregory said. "There is a phrase that we have used in the past, a 'cafeteria Catholic.' You choose that which is attractive and dismiss that which is challenging."

"[E]specially in terms of life issues, there are things that [Biden] chooses to ignore, or he uses the current situation as a political pawn rather than saying, 'Look, my church believes this, I'm a good Catholic, I would like to believe this.' Rather than to twist and turn some dimensions of the faith as a political advantage," Gregory explained.

Last month, Bishop Robert Gruss of Michigan called Biden "stupid" and described the president as someone "who is not living the life Jesus wants for him." Gruss said he feels "sorry" for Biden. He later apologized for his comments.

Other high-level Catholic leaders, including Cardinal Raymond Burke and Archbishop Emeritus Charles Chaput, have also openly criticized Biden and suggested he is not in good standing with the church.

Bishop Paprocki ended his message by quoting Paul in his letter to the Galatians.

"Make no mistake: God is not mocked, for a person will reap only what he sows, because the one who sows for his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows for the spirit will reap eternal life from the spirit. Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up. So then, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all, but especially to those who belong to the family of the faith," Paprocki quoted.

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