White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters that the administration was “working through every lever we have” to get more access for the media. Francis considers the politicization, and weaponization, of the eucharist disastrous for the church and its ability to remain above the secular fray. The Vatican has noted that Mr. Biden’s bishop, Cardinal Wilton Gregory of Washington, who was appointed by Francis, has said he will not deny the president communion. Francis clearly has avid backers in the United States, especially among the bishops and cardinals he has appointed. But among American bishops, his appointees and allies are not a majority, and Vatican officials have worried that movement by a majority of Catholic bishops against a Catholic president and other top Catholic office holders in the United States could set a dangerous precedent.

Source: New York Times October 29, 2021 21:28 UTC