PROSPECT HEIGHTS — In the wake of President Joe Biden’s announcement that he is not running for re-election, the New York State Catholic Conference issued a statement wishing him well while acknowledging its differences with him.
“We thank President Joe Biden, our country’s second Catholic president, for his public service over the last five-plus decades, as a senator, VP, and president, even as we acknowledge important policy differences,” the conference said in a statement posted on X after Biden made his announcement on Sunday, July 21.
The conference did not outline those policy differences, but the president’s support of abortion rights is in sharp contrast to the Catholic Church’s pro-life position.
“We wish him well for the remainder of his term and in his post-presidency,” the statement concluded.
Biden, the second Catholic to occupy the White House after John F. Kennedy, announced in a letter posted on X, that he would not seek re-election in November.
Other prominent Catholics also spoke out about the president’s decision.
Father James Martin, editor at large at America magazine, described Biden’s move as “a selfless and humble decision, recognizing his own humanity.”
Joe Donnelly, the former senator from Indiana who Biden appointed as U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, told an Indianapolis television station that the president made the right decision to end his re-election bid.
“He’s someone that devoted his life to our country. And my reaction is I’m grateful for all he’s done for our nation,” said Donnelly, who resigned from his post on July 8.
In recent days, Biden faced increasing pressure from members of his own party to drop out of the presidential race amid concerns over his age and mental acuity in the wake of a June 27 debate with former president Donald Trump, the Republican nominee.
That night, many observers perceived Biden as frail and unable to fully control his faculties.
After that debate and the weeks after, scores of Democrats publicly urged Biden to withdraw from the race. As of July 21, that number had included four U.S. senators and 36 members of the House of Representatives.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your president. And while it has been my intention to seek re-election, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote.
In a subsequent X post addressed to his fellow Democrats, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Today, I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year,” he said.
In a statement issued through the Biden campaign, Harris said Sunday: “I am honored to have the president’s endorsement, and my intention is to earn and win this nomination.”
The Democratic Party will hold its convention Aug. 19-22 in Chicago.
Biden’s announcement came just three days after the Republican Party officially nominated Trump as the standard bearer going into the election and eight days after Trump survived an assassination attempt on his life.