Joe Biden denied holy communion at South Carolina mass over his abortion position

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Joe Biden has been denied Holy Communion at a South Carolina church, as a result of his pro-choice stance on the Democratic campaign trail.

Mr Biden was attending mass at a church in Florence, South Carolina, when father Robert E Morey denied the lifelong Catholic one of the seven sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church.

“Sadly, this past Sunday, I had to refuse Holy Communion to former vice president Joe Biden,” Mr Morey told the South Carolina Morning News in a statement.

The statement continued: “Holy Communion signifies we are one with God, each other and the Church. Our actions should reflect that. Any public figure who advocates for abortion places himself or herself outside of Church teaching.”

He said it was his job as a priest to minister the souls in his care, and that responsibility is still there when in difficult situations.

“I will keep Mr Biden in my prayers,” he said.

Mr Biden has had a somewhat convoluted approach to abortion, as a leading figure in a Democratic Party that largely supports a woman’s right to choose.

He has said that he supports codifying into statute the landmark US Supreme Court case Roe v Wade, which established a woman’s right to have an abortion without undue government restrictions.

But he also said during a 2012 vice presidential debate that he is personally opposed to abortion, even if he is unwilling to impose that belief on others.

He has flip-flopped on his position on the 1976 Hyde Amendment, which prevents federal funding for abortion except incases of rape, incest, or in pregnancies where the woman’s life is put in danger. In June, his campaign signalled that he supported that amendment, which put him at odds with much of the Democratic Party.

He said days later at a gala that he does not support that amendment.

The Catholic church contends that human life must be respected and protected from the moment of conception.

The Biden campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.