During a panel hosted by the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University, the church leaders offered reflections on the ongoing debate over Joe Biden and the Eucharist.

The ever-present political talk of who is a good enough Catholic, or who should or should not receive Communion, hits close to home.

“This is a time to say, ‘Yes, let’s speak about the hunger...for the presence of God.’ This is the moment, and I think the bishops want to do that. But some of our pastoral leaders are making it difficult.”

The parish council at the Jesuit-run Holy Trinity Catholic Church released a statement saying that the church “will not deny the Eucharist to persons presenting themselves to receive it.”

How could I express that no matter what, the Eucharist unceasingly calls me back home to the Catholic faith? That’s why this document on the Eucharist from the U.S. bishops shakes me.

Accusations and implications of hypocrisy have been easy to find on all sides of this controversy.