Pope Leo Elevates Bishop Who Defied Right-Wing Push to Deny Biden Communion

In 2021, Bishop Mark O’Connell argued the Church should not weaponize the Eucharist — now Pope Leo has elevated him.

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Pope Leo XIV named Bishop Mark O’Connell as the new bishop of Albany on Monday morning.

Bishop O’Connell first gained national attention in 2021 when he broke ranks to oppose a U.S. bishops’ document seen as a step toward denying Communion to pro-choice Catholic politicians like President Biden.

He argued that a teaching letter on the Eucharist was “not the correct place” for such debates and urged the hierarchy to focus less on “who should be denied” Communion and more on “who should receive” it.

O’Connell has always insisted that the Eucharist is meant to unite, not divide. He welcomes each communicant’s humble “Amen” and leaves any judgment to private pastoral conversations.

For O’Connell, shared humility before God — “we are all unworthy to receive” — is “the source of our unity.”

He warns that using the Eucharist as a political weapon will only deepen divisions in the Church.

Pope Francis himself affirmed, “No, I have never denied the Eucharist to anyone!” — urging clergy not to politicize Communion but to be shepherds of compassion and tenderness rather than culture warriors.

Pope Leo XIV echoes that spirit, calling for greater respect among Catholics even amid moral disagreements.

Likewise, O’Connell argues that while abortion is against the Church’s teaching, it must not eclipse other urgent moral issues; being truly pro-life means defending human dignity “in its fullness” on matters like immigration, poverty, and racism.

Recently, a group of conservative bishops blasted Cardinal Cupich for planning to honor pro-choice Sen. Dick Durbin — an uproar so intense that Durbin ultimately declined the award.

Pope Leo responded by urging Catholics to consider a public servant’s whole record and to “have respect for one another” as we “find the way forward as a church.”

By choosing O’Connell, Pope Leo sends a clear message about the kind of shepherd he envisions — a bridge-builder and pastor of mercy.

If you have a few minutes, I encourage you to listen to his remarks below after he was ordained an auxiliary bishop in Boston back in 2016.

O’Connell represents a new generation of Leonine bishops who put pastoral unity above partisan point-scoring. Hailed as a hero of unity, he brings to Albany the conviction that the Eucharist should unite, not divide.

His leadership will model Pope Leo’s vision of a Church where fidelity to truth is paired with openness to dialogue and grace.

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