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Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, KansasFlickr.com

January 25, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) – President Joe Biden’s celebration of Roe v. Wade’s 48th anniversary this month was “disturbing and tragic,” according to Kansas City Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities.

Last week, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris marked the occasion by declaring that their regime is “committed to codifying Roe v. Wade and appointing judges that respect foundational precedents like Roe.” They added that “in the past four years, reproductive health, including the right to choose, has been under relentless and extreme attack.”

“It is deeply disturbing and tragic that any President would praise and commit to codifying a Supreme Court ruling that denies unborn children their most basic human and civil right, the right to life, under the euphemistic disguise of a health service,” Naumann responded in a statement. “I take this opportunity to remind all Catholics that the Catechism states, ‘Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable.’”

“Public officials are responsible for not only their personal beliefs, but also the effects of their public actions,” his response continued. “Roe’s elevation of abortion to the status of a protected right and its elimination of state restrictions paved the way for the violent deaths of more than 62 million innocent unborn children and for countless women who experience the heartache of loss, abandonment, and violence.”

“We strongly urge the President to reject abortion and promote life-affirming aid to women and communities in need,” Naumann concluded.

Much has been made in the press of Biden being the second “Catholic” president in U.S. history, after John F. Kennedy, despite Biden’s support for various positions at odds with Catholic principles, including his support for forcing states to allow virtually-unlimited abortion at taxpayer expense.

Biden told America Magazine in 2015 that he was “prepared to accept as a matter of faith” that “at the moment of conception there’s human life and being,” but wasn’t prepared to “impose” a “rigid” or “precise” view on abortion that was “born out of my faith” (ignoring that science is equally conclusive on when life begins).

Several American Catholic leaders have called for Biden to be denied Holy Communion due to his pro-abortion stance, but Pope Francis has so far merely congratulated Biden on his election without challenging the new president about the sanctity of life.