ROME (AP) – US House of Representatives President Nancy Pelosi met with Pope Francis on Wednesday and took communion during a papal liturgy at St. Peter’s Basilica, witnesses said, despite her position in support of abortion rights.
Pelosi attends the morning liturgy celebrating the feasts of St. Peter and Paul, during which Francis handed over the woolen stole from the pallium to the newly ordained archbishops. She was accommodated in the VIP diplomatic part of the basilica and partook of communion with the other brothers, according to two people who witnessed the moment.
The Archbishop of Pelosi, Archbishop of San Francisco Salvatore Cordilleone, said he would no longer allow her to partake of the sacrament in his archdiocese because of her support for abortion rights. Cordileone, a conservative, said Pelosi must either give up his support for abortion or stop speaking publicly about his Catholic faith.
Pelosi did neither. She called the recent Supreme Court ruling to lift constitutional protections against abortion a “outrageous and heartbreaking” decision that fulfills “the Republican Party’s dark and ultimate goal of depriving women of the right to make their own reproductive health decisions.”
And she spoke openly and understandingly about the Catholic faith, including at a diplomatic reception at the residence of the US Embassy at the Holy See on Tuesday night, marking Independence Day.
Speaking to a crowd of ambassadors, Vatican officials and other Americans based in Rome, Pelosi spoke about the Catholic virtues of faith, hope and charity and the important role they play in the US embassy’s mission.
“Faith is an important gift, not everyone has it, but it’s the way to so many other things,” she told the crowd.
Pelosi met with Francis on the Wednesday before the liturgy and received a blessing, according to one of those present at the liturgy.
After the liturgy, Pelosi visited the Sant’Egidio community, a Catholic charity close to Francis, where he met with refugees assisted by the group. At an event to reward the charity with $ 25,000 in funding from the State Department, Pelosi quoted St. Francis of Assisi as the need to preach the gospel in action, not just in words.
“We had the pleasure of attending a liturgy this morning with His Holiness and many many church leaders,” Pelosi said. “In the spirit of St. Francis, which is the name of His Holiness and my city of San Francisco, I thank you for preaching the gospel, sometimes using words.”
While Francis led the liturgy, he did not administer the sacrament alone, and Pelosi received the sacrament from one of the many priests who administered it. Since his time as archbishop of Buenos Aires, Francis has rarely administered Communion, precisely to prevent the politicization of the Eucharist.
Last year, President Joe Biden, another Catholic who also supports abortion rights, said after a meeting with Francis that the pontiff had told him to continue receiving communion. Biden later took communion during a liturgy in a church in Rome, which was under Francis’ authority as bishop of Rome.
Pelosi’s communion from the communion in the Vatican during a liturgy led by the pope was even more significant and was a sign of Francis’ unwillingness to refuse Communion. Francis describes the Eucharist as “not a reward for the perfect, but a powerful medicine and food for the weak.”
Asked about some American bishops who want to refuse Biden’s sacrament, Francis told reporters during an air press conference in September that priests should not be politicians and condemn their flock, but should be pastors who accompany believers with tenderness and compassion.
The Vatican has not commented on the specific issue of Communion and abortion politicians in a major textbook, although the church’s domestic canon law says that people in a situation of persistent sin should not be entitled to receive Communion. He also issued guidelines for the conduct of Catholics in political life, urging them to uphold principles compatible with church doctrine.
The then head of the Vatican doctrine, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger – the future Pope Benedict XVI – told American bishops in 2004 that priests “should” refuse communion if a politician went to receive Holy Communion despite “stubborn persistence in blatant grave sin.” including the sin of the consistent campaign to permit abortion laws.
Ratzinger wrote a confidential letter outlining the principles to American bishops in response to their question about whether to refuse the communion of John Kerry, who was the Democratic candidate for president. In the end, the bishops ignored Ratzinger’s council and instead voted for the current policy of allowing bishops to decide for themselves whether to keep him.
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Paolo Santalusia and Alessandra Tarantino contributed.
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