Joe Biden Officiates Same-Sex Wedding, Will Receive 'LGBT Hero Award' Despite Catholic Faith

By Leah Marieann Klett
Joe Biden
Joe Biden officiates the same-sex wedding of Henry Munos III and his husband, Kyle Ferrari. Instagram

Former Vice President Joe Biden officiated his second same-sex wedding just ahead of accepting the inaugural LGBT hero award for being at the "forefront" of LGBT equality - despite his Catholic faith.

Over Memorial Day weekend, Biden presided over the wedding between DNC finance chairman Henry Muños III and his husband, Kyle Ferrari, according to People magazine.

"My dearest friends Henry Munoz and Kyle Ferrari were married today by VP Joe Biden. Wishing them everlasting love and a joyous life journey!!!" Melanie Griffith, mom to Fifty Shades of Grey star Dakota Johnson, captioned a photo of the couple and Biden.

Last year, the former VP married two White House staffers, Brian Mosteller and Joe Mahsie, at his Washington home.

"Proud to marry Brian and Joe at my house. Couldn't be happier, two longtime White House staffers, two great guys," Biden wrote, while his wife, Jill, tweeted, "Love is love!"

Biden has been a long-time vocal supporter of same-sex marriage and LGBT rights. He first publicly announced his support for same-sex "marriage" in 2012, just days before Barack Obama did likewise.

"I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women and heterosexual men marrying women are entitled to the same exact rights," he said on Meet the Press. "All the civil rights, all the civil liberties."

In 2015, he threw his support behind transgender military personnel being able to serve openly, referring to transgender equality as "the civil rights issue of our time."

Later this month, Biden will headline the LGBT Gala in New York, where he will receive the the inaugural "LGBT hero award".

"I hope this ceremony serves as a testament to the strides we've made for equality and inspires us to imitate Joe Biden in our support for the LGBTQ community," DNC Chairman Tom Perez said in a statement about the June 21 dinner.

Biden identifies as a Roman Catholic; however, the Catholic Church teaches that marriage is a sacrament that can occur only between a man and a woman.

Last year, three Catholic bishops released a statement criticizing Biden for misrepresenting the views of the Church: "When a prominent Catholic politician publicly and voluntarily officiates at a ceremony to solemnize the relationship of two people of the same-sex, confusion arises regarding Catholic teaching on marriage and the corresponding moral obligations of Catholics," Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, Bishop Richard J. Malone and Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski wrote in a blog post on the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops website. "What we see is a counter witness, instead of a faithful one founded in the truth."

Nevertheless, Sarah McBride, national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign, wrote in an email that Biden's actions reflect the large majority of Catholics "who support equality and consistently affirm the dignity and worth of LGBTQ people."

"Joe Biden is a deeply religious person and, like other Americans, likely supports equality not in spite of his faith, but, in large part, because of it," wrote McBride. "He recognizes that we are all God's children and a central tenet of practically every faith is to love your neighbor, even if that message is not always preached from pulpit when it comes to LGBTQ people."

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