Pope emeritus Benedict XVI is expressing concerns about President Joe Biden's position on abortion and tendency to fall in line with the Democratic Party platform.
"It's true, he's Catholic and observant," Benedict told Italian publication Corriere della Sera on Monday. "And personally, he is against abortion. But as president, he tends to present himself in continuity with the line of the Democratic Party ... and on gender policy, we still don't really understand what his position is."
Biden, only the second Catholic president, after John F. Kennedy, is at odds with traditional Catholic teaching when it comes to his pro-choice stance on abortion and policies regarding sexual orientation and gender identity, The Washington Times notes.
The president revoked the Mexico City policy, which banned U.S. foreign aid for organizations promoting abortion abroad, and picked California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who the Times called a "pro-choice crusader," as his nominee for Health and Human Services secretary. Biden also supports the Equality Act — which would make sexual orientation and gender identity protected characteristics in civil rights law — that some Republicans say would curtail religious liberties.
Benedict, who became the first pope to resign in almost 600 years, also commented on his decision to step down in 2013, The Tablet reports.
"It was a difficult decision, but I made it in full awareness, and I believe I did the right thing," the retired pope said. "Some of my slightly 'fanatical' friends are still angry, they didn't want to accept my choice. I think of the conspiracy theories that followed it ... They don't want to believe in a conscious choice. But my conscience is clear."
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.