The archbishop of San Francisco, California is banning House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D- Calif.), who is Catholic, from communion over her support for a woman’s right to choose.
Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone wrote in a letter to Pelosi that since she failed to either repudiate advocacy for abortion rights or to refrain from referring to her Catholic faith in public he has no choice but to deny her communion.
“As you have not publically repudiated your position on abortion, and continue to refer to your Catholic faith in justifying your position and to receive Holy Communion, that time has now come,” Cordileone said in the Thursday letter. “Therefore, in light of my responsibility as the Archbishop of San Francisco to be ‘concerned for all the Christian faithful entrusted to [my] care’ (Code of Canon Law, can. 383, §1), by means of this communication I am hereby notifying you that you are not to present yourself for Holy Communion and, should you do so, you are not to be admitted to Holy Communion, until such time as you publically repudiate your advocacy for the legitimacy of abortion and confess and receive absolution of this grave sin in the sacrament of Penance.”
Cordileone said the decision to bar Pelosi from communion is not a political one, writing in a separate letter: “Speaker Pelosi remains our sister in Christ. Her advocacy for the care of the poor and vulnerable elicits my admiration. I assure you that my action here is purely pastoral, not political,”
Pelosi has defended her support of abortion rights and other issues that the church condemns.
“I believe that God has given us a free will to honor our responsibilities,” Pelosi said in a press conference. “For us, it was a complete and total blessing, which we enjoy every day of our lives. But it’s none of our business how other people choose the size and timing of their families.”
Pelosi isn’t the first politician of the Catholic faith to be reprimanded for their support for abortion rights. Last year bishops debated whether President Joe Biden should receive communion as well.
The effort to ban Biden from receiving communion failed. U.S. Catholic bishops overwhelmingly approved a document on Communion in November 2021 that stops short of calling for withholding the sacrament from politicians such as Biden who support abortion rights.
But, the document offers some justification for individual bishops to do so.
Pope Francis said last year that he has never denied anyone communion, and encouraged Catholic leaders to avoid aligning themselves with politics.
