Biden Criticized for Making Sign of the Cross

(RepublicanJournal.org) – President Biden has infuriated pro-life campaigners after making the sign of the cross at an event in Florida. Biden’s gesture was apparently in support of another Democrat who was criticizing pro-life policies. It hasn’t gone down well with observant Catholics.

On April 23, Biden appeared on stage with Florida Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried, who tried to challenge Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) in 2022 but was defeated in her party’s primary. During her speech, Fried criticized Florida’s new abortion law, which comes into effect on May 1.

The law will restrict abortions to the first six weeks of pregnancy, and Fried has been a vocal opponent of it; last April she was arrested with ten others during a protest at the Florida Capitol. In a rant aimed at DeSantis, she blamed his presidential ambitions for the fact that “15 weeks wasn’t good enough. We had to go to six weeks” — and, as she said that, Biden made the sign of the cross.

The traditional Catholic gesture didn’t go down well with pro-life advocates. Students for Life of America founder Kristan Hawkins said Catholics should be opposing the “evil” of abortion, not supporting it.

Brian Burch of CatholicVote said Biden’s action was “a despicable charade,” and said the president was “either terribly naive, or senile, or callously indifferent” to what millions of American Christians believe. In a statement, anti-abortion group 40 Days For Life slammed “the disconnect between his actions and Catholic teachings.” Despite the modernizing beliefs of Pope Francis, the Catholic Church still classes abortion as a “moral evil” and says this principle is unchangeable.

Biden regularly claims to be both Irish and a devout Catholic, but polls show Americans don’t believe his protests of piety. A recent poll found that only 13% believe he’s “very religious,” while 44% don’t think he’s religious at all. Making the sign of the cross in support of something that’s so firmly against Catholic teaching isn’t going to change their minds.