As rumpuses go in calm, post-Trump Washington, it will have to do. This summer, Catholic bishops discussed withholding communion from no less a personage than the US president. The gesture was twice foolish. First, whatever Joe Biden’s line on abortion, neither his pastor nor the Holy See support his exclusion. Second, and here the clergy will have to forgive a dip into earthly politics, they only served to highlight the president’s stalwart churchgoing. There are White House staff who have done less sterling work for his image.
“后特朗普”时代平静的华盛顿出现了一些喧嚣，不过有点喧嚣总比没有好。这个夏天，天主教的主教们探讨了是否应该剥夺一个人领圣餐的资格——这个人正是美国总统。从两方面看，这一姿态都很愚蠢。首先，不论乔•拜登(Joe Biden)对堕胎是什么态度，他的牧师或者罗马教廷都不会支持剥夺他的资格。其次，美国的神职人员不得不宽恕自己沾染世俗政治的行为，他们所起到的作用只是彰显了美国总统总去教堂做礼拜的虔诚。他们为总统形象增光添彩的工作做得比白宫工作人员还要好。