The Archbishop of the San Francisco Archdiocese barred Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi from receiving Holy Communion on Friday due to her pro-abortion views.
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone notified Pelosi and the priests of the diocese of San Francisco, instructing them of his decision to ban her from receiving the Eucharist at Mass, the Catholic News Agency reported.
“After numerous attempts to speak with Speaker Pelosi to help her understand the grave evil she is perpetrating, the scandal she is causing, and the danger to her own soul she is risking, I have determined that she is not to be admitted to Holy Communion,” Cordileone stated on Twitter.
After numerous attempts to speak with Speaker Pelosi to help her understand the grave evil she is perpetrating, the scandal she is causing, an the danger to her own soul she is risking, I have determined that she is not to be admitted to Holy Communion. https://t.co/l7M85CyG86
— Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone (@ArchCordileone) May 20, 2022
“Christians have, indeed, always upheld the dignity of human life in every stage, especially the most vulnerable, beginning with life in the womb,” the letter stated. “This fundamental moral truth has consequences for Catholics in how they live their lives, especially those entrusted with promoting and protecting the public good of society.”
Cordileone said his decision was rooted in Church teaching that lawmakers must oppose any law that isn’t protecting life. (RELATED: Oklahoma Moves To Ban Most Abortions For The Second Time In Five Weeks)
“A Catholic legislator who supports procured abortion, after knowing the teaching of the Church, commits a manifestly grave sin which is a cause of most serious scandal to others. Therefore, universal Church law provides that such persons ‘are not to be admitted to Holy Communion,'” the Archbishop of San Francisco added.
Pelosi told CEO and president of the LBJ Foundation Mark Updegrove that she was a “devout catholic” in a March interview where they discussed the potential for the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade.
“This [topic] really gets me burned up, in case you didn’t notice, because again, I’m very Catholic, devout, practicing, all of that. They would like to throw me out. But I’m not going because I don’t want to make their day,” Pelosi said.
Pelosi, who had five children and grew up in a pro-life family, told Updegrove that although abortion wasn’t right for her, it might be “right for somebody else.” She promised the Democratic Party would “never give up,” trying to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act which legalizes abortion through all nine months of pregnancy.
“We do think that the codification of Roe v. Wade would be a really important protection against the court,” she added. “Again, it isn’t about what is your religious belief. It’s what is the right of people to make their own decisions about the sizing and time or if they are going to have a family.”
CatholicVote surveyed mass-going Catholics on whether lawmakers who support policies that disobey Church teaching should present themselves for the Eucharist. The survey polled 600 mass-attending Catholics from June 1-8, 2021, with a margin of error of ± 4%.
The poll found that 83% of mass-attending Catholics believe Catholic lawmakers who oppose Church teachings “create confusion and disunity.” The survey showed that 74% of respondents believe Catholic politicians who support laws against Church teaching on serious or grave matters should not present themselves for the Eucharist.
Brian Burch, President of CatholicVote, praised Cordileone’s move to ban Pelosi.
“Catholics across America commend Archbishop Cordileone and his pastoral leadership in handling the scandal posed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. For too long, Catholic public officials have created confusion and disunity by advocating for policies that destroy innocent human life – in direct contradiction of the teachings of the Catholic faith. The persistent disobedience of these public officials is a source of enormous sadness and scandal that begged for a response,” Burch said in a statement.
“The Church has no choice but to protect itself and to encourage all of its members to live in communion with its teachings. For the sake of Speaker Pelosi and the rest of the flock in his charge, Archbishop Cordileone is right to call her to return to full communion with the Church. We hope and pray she will do so,” he added.