(Fox News) President Biden sparked outrage Tuesday when he made the Sign of the Cross while rallying against abortion restrictions.
Biden made the ostensibly pious gesture in Tampa while Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried complained about Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state’s tightening six-week ban on abortion.
“We come back here to the state of Florida, where Ron DeSantis felt like he needed to run for president, so 15 weeks wasn’t good enough,” said Fried. “We had to go to six weeks.”
President Joe Biden speaks at a reproductive freedom event at Hillsborough Community College on April 23, 2024, in Tampa, Florida. Biden expressed his administration’s opposition to Florida’s six-week abortion ban signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis that is set to take effect on May 1. (Paul Hennessy/Anadolu via Getty Images)
As Fried spoke, Biden motioned the cross by touching his forehead, chest and shoulders in the traditional formula.
The Sign of the Cross is an ancient expression of piety that has existed since at least the third century and is commonly used by Catholic and Orthodox churches as a form of blessing.
“Biden’s use of the Sign of the Cross in support of abortion is a disgusting insult towards all Christians, but especially of Catholics whom he claims as his own,” Brian Burch, president of CatholicVote, told Fox News Digital on Wednesday.
President Joe Biden gestures while speaking at a reproductive freedom event at Hillsborough Community College on April 23, 2024, in Tampa, Florida. Biden expressed his administration’s opposition to Florida’s six-week abortion ban signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis that is set to take effect on May 1. (Paul Hennessy/Anadolu via Getty Images)
He added, “The Sign of the Cross is a sacred gesture used by believers to bless themselves, ask forgiveness, or to protect them from temptation. Instead, Biden has turned this ancient Christian practice into an endorsement of abortion extremism.”
Biden has leaned into his Catholic identity in his presidential campaigns, asserting himself as a devout believer despite blatant disregard for non-negotiable church teachings.
Last week, a bishop in Michigan accused Biden of “stupidity” regarding the dissonance between his religion and politics.
“I don’t have any anger towards the president. I feel sorry for him. I’m not angry at him, he’s just stupid,” said Bishop Robert Gruss of the Diocese of Saginaw. “It’s not stupidity in the derogatory way, it’s stupidity in the sense of […] he doesn’t understand the Catholic faith.”
