President Joe Biden drew criticism on Tuesday for drawing attention to his Catholic faith by making the sign of the cross at a campaign event promoting abortion access in Florida.
Biden was in Florida to attack his likely opponent in the 2024 presidential race, former President Donald Trump, over his support for the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the case that resulted in the overturning of 1973’s landmark abortion case Roe v. Wade. The president blamed Trump for creating an opportunity for Florida to pass the “Heartbeat Bill,” which bans abortions around the sixth week.
“This extreme Florida law is going to impact 4 million women in the state,” Biden said. “Let’s be real clear. There’s one person responsible for this nightmare. And he’s acknowledged, and he brags about it — Donald Trump.”
As another speaker at the event was railing against Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis for signing the “Heartbeat Bill,” Biden crossed himself.
“This. Is. VILE! President Biden makes the Sign of the Cross at an abortion rally in Florida! You cannot be Catholic and support abortion! You cannot invoke GOD and promote Death!” CatholicVote posted, sharing video of the president on X.
WATCH:
This. Is. VILE!
President Biden makes the Sign of the Cross at an abortion rally in Florida!
You cannot be Catholic and support abortion!
You cannot invoke GOD and promote Death! pic.twitter.com/aG4P542EM0
— CatholicVote (@CatholicVote) April 23, 2024
White House staffers and legacy media have described Biden as a “devout Catholic.”
“Biden’s decision to make the Sign of the Cross in support of abortion extremism is a despicable charade that attempts to co-opt a sacred practice in support of his new abortion religion. His gesture openly mocks the Christian belief in the sanctity of life. There is no divine support for destroying the lives of innocent children, and he should know better. Biden’s gesture suggests he is either terribly naive, or senile, or callously indifferent to the foundational beliefs of millions of Christians in America,” CatholicVote President Brian Burch added.
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Making the sign of the cross, according to Catholic tradition, invokes multiple meanings. Simply Catholic laid out six of them in a post, ranging from a reaffirmation of faith as stated in the Apostles’ Creed to a reminder of baptism.
“On one level, then, making the sign is a defensive move, declaring our inviolability to the devil’s influence. But, more importantly, the sign is also an offensive weapon, helping us reclaim with Christ all that Satan lost at the cross,” the post continued. “Like tossing off a dirty shirt or blouse, making the sign indicates our stripping ourselves of our evil inclinations and clothing ourselves with the behaviors of Christ.”