According to Nancy Pelosi, she still receives communion despite being banned by her Archbishop. Pelosi, despite serving as speaker of the house for the Democrats and advocating for abortion, describes herself as a Catholic. Abortion is strictly condemned by the Vatican, and the archdiocese that governs her area has barred her from taking communion.
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of the Archdiocese of San Francisco wrote a letter to Pelosi in 2022. “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 publicly repudiate your advocacy for the legitimacy of abortion and confess and receive absolution of this grave sin in the sacrament of Penance,” wrote Cordileone.
He instructed her to “repudiate her support for abortion rights” and to confess her sins. However, Pelosi was unbothered. “My Catholic faith is, Christ is my savior,” she glibly added. “It has nothing to do with the bishops,” Pelosi says that she’s been taking communion anyway. “I received communion anyway. That’s his problem, not mine.”
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who would become Pope Benedict XVI, explained the Church’s position on politicians who advocate for abortion. “When a … Catholic politician… campaignin[s] and vot[es] for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws, his Pastor should meet with him, instructing him about the Church’s teaching, informing him that he is not to present himself for Holy Communion …he will otherwise be denied the Eucharist.”
He went on to explain what should be done when a politician defies the will of the Church like Pelosi has done. “When …the person in question…still presents himself to receive the Holy Eucharist, ‘the minister of Holy Communion must refuse to distribute it.” Cordileone cited this letter in his condemnation of the former house speaker.
“As a pastor of souls, my overriding concern and chief responsibility is the salvation of souls. And as Ezekiel reminds us, for a pastor to fulfill his calling, he has the duty not only to teach, console, heal and forgive but also, when necessary, to correct, admonish and call to conversion,” the Archbishop said. He specifically called for her conversion on the issue of abortion.
Abortion has always been a hot-button issue. However, it has become especially controversial in Catholic circles since 2020. While the Vatican strictly forbids abortion, many prominent Catholic politicians, such as Pelosi and Joe Biden, are outspoken supporters. In 2021, a collection of Bishops wrote a document to address the issue. “As Christians, we bear the responsibility to promote the life and dignity of the human person, and to love and to protect the most vulnerable in our midst: the unborn, migrants and refugees, victims of racial injustice, the sick and the elderly,” the document extolled.
While the document stopped short of banning pro-abortion Catholic politicians from communion, it did provide a strong instruction to churchgoers. “[Catholics] who exercise some form of public authority have a special responsibility to form their consciences in accord with the Church’s faith and the moral law, and to serve the human family by upholding human life and dignity.”