But The Catholic Bishops Just Rebuked Her… Nancy Pelosi Claims She’s a “Devout Catholic”
By STEVEN ERTELT
WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeNews) — During her farewell address as Speaker to fellow Democrats on November 17, Nancy Pelosi called herself a “devout Catholic.” But nothing could be further from the truth.
“I stand before you as Speaker of the House, as a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a devout Catholic, a proud Democrat, and a patriotic American — a citizen of the greatest Republic in the history of the world,” Pelosi said.
But Nancy Pelosi has probably been the least devout Catholic speaker in history. She presided over passing bills for abortions up to birth, forcing Americans to fund abortions and even denied a vote on a bill to stop infanticide 80 times.
In fact the nation’s Catholic bishops just rebuked her by electing bishops to leadership positions who denied or supported denying her Communion because she continues to promote abortion.
As LifeNews reported earlier, the Catholic bishops elected a new chairman of their pro-life committee who supported denying Nancy Pelosi Communion because she is a radical abortion activist.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops elected Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington, Va., as the new chairman of the U.S. bishops’ pro-life committee. According to a Catholic News Agency report, they chose Burbidge over Bishop W. Shawn McKnight of Jefferson City, Missouri, by a vote of 174-63.
Burbidge was one of a handful of bishops to officially deny Pelosi Communion. Their decision had the support of Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley. And on Wednesday, November 16 the bishops elected him as secretary in a 130-104 vote over Joseph Cardinal Tobin of Newark, N.J. The decision was significant because they chose Coakley over Tobin, who had been named a cardinal by Pope Francis.
Earlier this year, Coakley had applauded the decision by San Francisco’s archbishop to deny Pelosi communion.
“I applaud the courage of Archbishop Cordileone and his leadership in taking this difficult step. Let us continue to pray for Archbishop Cordileone, priests of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, Speaker Pelosi, for the protection of the unborn, and for the conversion of hearts and minds,” he said at the time.
Coakley also thanked Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and other lawmakers for enacting an abortion ban, which protects unborn babies from the moment of conception.
“Building a culture of life in Oklahoma that recognizes the inherent dignity of every person requires the protections afforded by pro-life legislation and a profound change of heart,” Coakley said in a statement earlier this year. “Thank you to Oklahoma’s legislative leaders and to Gov. Stitt for supporting pro-life measures.”
The archbishop also urged people to pray for families who are struggling and the pro-lifers who are serving their needs.
“I encourage Oklahomans to pray for women in crisis pregnancy situations, for their families and loved ones, for families waiting to adopt, for fathers, and for the many pregnancy resource centers serving these brave parents,” he said.
When it came to Pelosi, as LifeNews reported, San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone notified Pelosi that she may not receive Communion unless she repents of her radical pro-abortion actions. After the notification, she defied his decision and received Communion at a Catholic church in Washington.
Confession And Absolution
Immediately, Bishop Robert Vasa, who heads the diocese where Pelosi has her vacation home, also denied her Communion.
“After numerous attempts to speak with her 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 the point has come in which I must make a public declaration that she is not to be admitted to Holy Communion unless and until she publicly repudiate her support for abortion ‘rights’ and confess and receive absolution for her cooperation in this evil in the Sacrament of Penance,” the archbishop said at the time.
Shortly after the decision, Bishop Burbidge said Pelosi can’t receive Communion in the Diocese of Arlington, Va., because she’s radically pro-abortion.
Burbidge extended the Communion ban that Pelosi’s home bishop in San Francisco put in place — saying it now applies to her if and when she visits any Catholic church on the Virginia side of the nation’s capital.
Burbidge said he respects the decision San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone made to deny Communion to Pelosi because of her radical abortion advocacy and because she refused to meet with him to discuss her pro-abortion record and to repent of her support for killing unborn babies.
“He is her bishop and as that bishop the direction and guidance he provides is not limited to just a geographical area,” Burbidge said on his diocese’s The Walk Humbly Podcast.
He explained that the decision was “pastoral, not political” and said the Communion denial was not a punishment but a way of encouraging someone to repent and get right with God.
“I can’t say it enough, (these) decisions are made for the good of individuals to guard the faithful from scandal, which is caused when Catholics in public office take positions at odds with Church teaching,” the bishop said. “That confuses people and a bishop has to guard against that.”
“All people, including those who are not public individuals, have to approach the sacraments truly in communion with the Church and Our Lord,” Burbidge said.
Bishop Joseph Strickland of Texas also banned Nancy Pelosi from receiving Communion “until she repents and stops advocating the murder of children.”
Pain And Death
Meanwhile, the new USCCB pro-life chair has also gone after Joe Biden’s abortion advocacy.
In October, Burbidge denounced Biden’s stated intention to sign a bill for abortions up to birth, saying, “The role of Congress is to pass laws that serve the common good — and yet this priority of the president only brings about pain and death.”
