Pope Francis met on Saturday with U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Catholic who has come under criticism from some bishops in the United States for her support for abortion rights.
Their meeting took place several weeks before Joe Biden is expected to meet the pope while the U.S. president is in Rome for talks between leaders of the Group of 20 major economies.
Biden, the second Catholic U.S. president, has said he is personally opposed to abortion but, as a politician, cannot impose his views. Pelosi, who has five children, has said she supports a woman’s right to choose.
Biden’s administration and Pelosi have urged judges to block a new Texas law which bars abortions from six weeks, saying it is unconstitutional. The ban was temporarily reinstated on Friday by a conservative-leaning appeals court.
The Catholic Church teaches that human life begins at the moment of conception and Biden and Pelosi have been criticised by conservative Catholic media and U.S. conservative bishops, some of whom say neither should be allowed to receive communion.
Last month the pope, asked about the U.S. communion debate, told reporters abortion is “murder”, even soon after conception, but appeared to criticise U.S. Catholic bishops for dealing with the issue in a political rather than pastoral way.
“Communion is not a prize for the perfect … communion is a gift, the presence of Jesus and his Church,” the pope said.
In June, a divided conference of U.S. Roman Catholic bishops voted to draft a statement on communion that some bishops say should specifically admonish Catholic politicians, including Biden. They take up the issue again next month.
The Vatican announced Pelosi’s audience with the pope in its daily bulletin but gave no details.
After Pelosi met former Pope Benedict in 2009, the Vatican said he had told her that legislators and other public figures should help create “a just system of laws capable of protecting human life at all stages of its development”.
The archbishop in Pelosi’s home city of San Francisco, Salvatore Cordileone, has said public figures who support abortion should be denied communion in his archdiocese and has urged Catholics to pray for Pelosi’s “conversion of heart”.
Pelosi is in Rome for a Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit ahead of the G20 as well a meeting of parliamentary leaders before of the U.N. Climate Change Summit (COP20) next month in Glasgow.
Francis told the parliamentarians separately on Saturday they had a decisive role to play in protecting the environment.
In a statement, Pelosi said the audience with the pope was a “spiritual, personal and official honor”. She praised his defense of the environment, immigrants, refugees and the poor.
The above comes from an Oct. 9 story in Reuters.
Papal meetings with abortion fanatics are an abomination to the office and a scandal to the faithful. Francis is absolutely besotted with apostles of the Culture of Death, he neither counsels or chastises them, just likes to be around them. That is not papal behavior worth of praise and we the church militant must object in the most vehement of ways.
Until you can speak charitably and accurately, you will never succeed at changing hearts and minds.
There is nothing charitable about abortion or honoring its advocates. The state of your heart and mind are on you, and when given the facts your choice to remain obstinate is also on you.
I do not relish that this current pontiff has an affinity for population controllers and abortion advocates, but sadly and shockingly, this is also accurate. Consider your rebuke rejected.
Of course there is nothing charitable about abortion. I am sorry to hear that love and honesty is not anything you will consider. Obstinacy in love and truth is what we are supposed to be
i wish I was more obstinate in obeying the Lord and rejecting temptation myself.
Timidity is not loving or honest, and when two powerful Catholics are seriously scandalizing the faithful, it is right and necessary to say so. Stop wishing and start praying. Consider your rebuke rejected, again.
I accept your rebuke on using the word wish. You are correct about that.
well that is a pretty accurate ratio….
I see nothing iinnacurate or uncharitable in the previous comment. I think it was something from St Augustine about true charity may appear harsh. Also, St Pius X about responding to modernists expecting to be treated with soft gloves rather than fists. Sometimes, perhaps rarely, fists are necessary.
Thank God the non-Catholics have gotten into legislators and made heartbeat bills.
And started 40 days for Life with a miraculous number of lives saved.
Pope St. John Paul II was said to have helped change the mind of President Ronald Reagan from being pro choice to pro life after he had a talk with him. Pope John Paul II also refused to shake the hand of an Irish pro abortion politician and never gave the impression she was in good standing with the Church.
I remember the bitter look on the Pope’s face when he met with President Trump, a non-Catholic, pro-life President. Contrast this with the jolly goings-on between the Pope and the pro-abortion Catholic, Pelosi. I just shake my head in disbelief.
So the Pope is supposed to fawn all over a 3 time married and divorced man who has acknowledged committing adultery not just with the wives but against the wives What?
I think he should not have given the photo op to Speaker Pelosi, but she has lived a moral life as far as I know.
Her stance on abortion is totally unacceptable and she could have and should have done a lot more for women in situations of temptation and less for those who think murdering a baby is a legitimate choice.
My name is not Moral Pelosi. I didn’t fill in the name box.
” but she has lived a moral life as far as I know.” How moral a life has one lived for who is a rabid supporter of baby-killing, that is, human sacrifice? Thanks in advance for your reply.
Obviously, I meant a moral personal life and I condemned strongly her legislative work concerning abortion and It root causes. (Which pro-choice Catholic politicians like to use to justify themselves.)
Lots of Nazi officers had respectable personal lives too but you can’t separate that from what they did professionally. That you even try to rehabilitate Pelosi is awful, she is not running away from her history, but you should. Terrible example of a “Catholic” woman.
I criticized her stand on abortion and on her lack of legislative effort for women in crisis pregnancies.
I do not like that she got that photo op with the Pope holding her hand.
Nobody has tried to rehabilitate her or her image.
Worldwide, over 1700 abortions took place during their 20 minute meeting.
Where are the masks, why are they not social distancing , why does he have time for this , but no time for meeting with Cardinal Zen ?.
Or have time to answer questions from his brother bishops, the so-called “dubia” Cardinals?
In 2016, four Cardinals asked him dubia, formal questions, about his unclear and questionable parts of Amoris Laetitia and he still hasn’t answered them.
At least two of those Cardinals went to their graves without getting an answer. How is that for dialogue, accompaniment, collegiality and synodality?
According to the rector of St. Patrick Church in Rome, Speaker Pelosi “was going to do our second reading” at Mass Saturday, until she left early for “security” reasons. And, who is politicizing our Faith and “weaponizing” it (against preborn babies and their mothers)?
Let’s see, publicly proclaim the Word of God, receive Holy Communion and have photo ops at Mass and with the Pope.
What’s next? Lord, have mercy!
Let us continue to pray for Mrs. Pelosi, Mr. Biden, Governor Newsom and all government officials, especially those who publicly tout their “devout” Catholic faith while furthering the mass killing of innocent babies and the violation of their mothers.
And, of course, let us continue to pray for the Pope and all of our bishops, as they shepherd all of us.
The story about Mass Reader Pelosi from Catholic News Agency is linked here. I could hardly believe it either.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/249244/nancy-pelosi-leaves-mass-in-rome-due-to-security-concerns
Why would Fr. Petroff ask her to read the epistle? (Doesn’t that parish have regular readers?) Or, did she demand to do so?
Maybe her hairdresser had a last-minute opening.
It may help to put the meeting in context or look at it this way. Speaker Pelosi was in Italy and Portugal for a meeting of NATO heads of Parliaments. As Head of State of the Holy See, the Pope met with the Speaker of the House. As is usual on those occasions there was an exchange of gifts, including one from the House. Perhaps it will make some more comfortable knowing that the Pope didn’t meet with Pelosi, but with the Speaker of the House. Just saying for a friend.
I’m sorry Bob One, but she met with Pelosi, and unless she received a severe rebuke for her advocation of human sacrifice (and the photo-op suggests no such thing) then the whole sordid affair stinks to high heaven. Worse, it confirms your friend in what can only be thought of as mortal sin. I for one do not want to see her in hell. Do you? Then is she is your friend, talk to her.
https://people.com/politics/nancy-pelosi-tells-pope-francis-you-overwhelm-me/
I wondered why they were holding hands but it was because she got so emotional upon meeting him.
There is a twitter video here where it shows that and also when he gestures that her nose is running.
I would die.
Probably has a breakthrough case of Covid.
Ol’ Frank,
He did it HIS way !
They’re two of a kind….?
When I posted last night I was very tired and there are typos/awkward sentences. What I want to say today is that Pope Francis has probably neutered Ab. Cordileone with respect to any action he might want to take with regard to Pelosi, other than to pray for her. How do you reason with someone who has the Pope’s commendation, and with that the implied commendation of the God of surprises? I hope I am wrong in thinking she received no rebuke from Francis for her advocacy of human sacrifice, and in fact she was rebuked and she was just putting her best face on the meeting for the sake of public consumption.
Absolutely unbelievable….I’m surprised she can walk into any Church and not burst into flames….
Jon, are you going to defend this latest awful papal move? Are you there, hello? Right, silence because we all know that rolling out the red carpet for abortion fanatics is indefensible.
Right. Didn’t you know that in 2009 Pope Benedict met with the same Nancy Pelosi? Didn’t you know that at that meeting with Pelosi, Benedict said that legislators and other public figures should help create “a just system of laws capable of protecting human life at all stages of its development”? Didn’t you know that in Pelosi’s own home district, Archbishop Cordileone has organized Catholics to send a thousand or so roses to her, to let her know we’re praying for her conversion? Didn’t you know any of this? How can people like Pope Francis or Cordileone hope to help convert folks like Pelosi if good people won’t even meet with them nor interact with them? Honestly, people, the level of critical thinking and especially of charity in these comments is descending rapidly it seems.
Jon, you just proved she is obstinate in her sin. Millions have converted without meeting a pope or interacting with their local bishop, she has had more opportunity through churchmen than most yet still persists in touting abortion and the leader of her church gives her a pass. Shameful of him.
At least Cordileone has tried to convert her, Francis from all we can glean, has not, therefore criticism of him is right and necessary.
Nope, “Non” is still wrong. Criticism of Pope Francis with respect to Pelosi is still unjust. If you’re itching to put responsibility on someone (and it seems you’re gung-ho to do just that), you have to look at a person’s immediate pastor. Pelosi has her local bishops in her district and in DC, and her parish priests in both locations. These folks are more immediate to her.
Shifting the blame is your sneaky way of exonerating Pope Francis for this obviously very bad move. Furthermore, he is poking Archbishop Cordileone in the eye for having the guts to publicly admonish Pelosi. So much for papal respect for “folks more immediate to her”.
It’s okay to acknowledge when a pope is wrong, and this is not a doctrinal issue, just his personal but flawed expression of approval.
“Non” refers to Pope Francis as “the leader of her church.” Is “Non” really a non-Catholic making disparaging remarks on a Catholic website about Catholics, the Pope, bishops, and other things Catholic? How do you folks feel about, for example, non-Jews going to Jewish websites just to make disparaging remarks about the Chief Rabbi or about Jewish customs? Or would you feel right about non-Buddhists going to online forums for Buddhists, and going there just to thrash on the Dalai Lama? I say, this “Non Jon,” if he/she is non-Catholic, may be displaying religious hatred here, with is against Federal law.
If I weren’t Catholic, I wouldn’t care that the current pontiff brings scandal and confusion to the Body of Christ. You like Francis, seem to want anyone who isn’t a cheerleader to be marginalized and pushed from the barque, but we’re not going. I am willing to fight for my One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic church, even if it’s against bad popes or holier than thou posters on a Catholic website.
Btw, Francis IS the leader of Pelosi’s church so your opening salvo went thud. As did your next one, and the next one, and the next one.
You didn’t admit that you belong to the same Church as the present Pope and Pelosi, “NonJon.” Very very telling. Do you belong to a “different church” as they do? Because if you do, that’s heretical. There is only one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, “NonJon.” My “opening salvo” therefore didn’t go “thud.”
You are in a very small minority of Catholics who think the pontiff brings scandal and confusion to the Body of Christ. Nobody is trying to push you off the barque. You are not fighting for the Church. You are harming the Church, but not much. You are mostly harming yourself. The internet has given rebellious Catholics (yes, you) a megaphone. We all need to ignore it. The less influence they have, the better for their souls. Scandal is a mortal sin.
Say your prayers and do good works; leave the stupid bickering to others.
Nice and slow for you jon, I am Catholic, there is only one Catholic Church, there are bad apples in the Church (Pelosi), and sometimes the Church is led by a bad pope (Francis). Funny that in all your papal obedience you have yet to defend Pope Francis meeting with notorious abortion supporter Pelosi, which was the point of my first comment. Surely you know it was a disgrace but can’t bring yourself to admit it.
And to “annoyed”, there are millions of Catholics who agree with me who won’t be browbeaten, get over it – or don’t.
Sorry, but NonJon obviously didn’t read the words of my first comment closely. I suggest he/she reads it again. In particular pay attention to my remark that reads: “How can people like Pope Francis or Cordileone hope to help convert folks like Pelosi if good people won’t even meet with them nor interact with them? Honestly, people, the level of critical thinking and especially of charity in these comments is descending rapidly it seems.” Cherrio!
Jon, you should have declined to defend the pope in the first place instead of questioning my Catholicism. You know he was wrong yet you could not bring yourself to admit it and changing the subject was useless. Hope you learned from this, glad to have helped.
Wrong again is NonJon. Not only am I very correct in questioning your Catholicism but also I am right in defending the Pope in this case. Both are connected. You see “Non”, no normal Catholic in good standing ever calls the Holy Father “the leader of someone else’s Church.” No one. It is odd. The fact that you write that, and the fact that you are virulent in your criticisms of the Pope says that, though you are baptized into the Church, you may have separated yourself. If you still go to Mass, you probably go to the beloved SSPX, or to an independent priest spawned by that unfortunate group, or at least exclusively go to the TLM with one of the beloved institutes and fraternities still in union with the Pope. And your hatred for Francis? Perhaps it comes, if not from one of those groups like the beloved SSPX, then probably from some sad incident with a member of the clergy you haven’t quite forgiven, a hatred that wound its way up to the Pope. If the latter is the case, then you need to let go of your anger and hatred, “Non.” All of that is speculative and conjecture on my part of course.
Jon, what you put quotation marks around are not my words, I’ll accept your apology. Your assumptions about my practice of the faith, where I attend Mass and “sad incidents” are also wrong.
You see “Non,” belonging to the Church is not like being a member of a political party, or some social group. To belong to the Church is to belong to God’s family, the purpose of which is unity with God and unity with all the members of the rest of the family. The Head of the Family is Our Lord, and the visible head is his vicar, the Pope, the visible spiritual father of all Catholics. Therefore, “Non”, it is never wrong for a spiritual father (the Pope) to meet one of his children, in this case one of his daughters in the spiritual, Catholic sense: Nancy. In the physical realm, no one will ever fault a father for meeting his wayward son or daughter, no matter how far the child has strayed. And who knows what this particular father and this particular daughter (Francis and Nancy) spoke about in confidence: hopefully it touched upon the fact that “abortion is murder” which the Pope recently said prior to meeting Pelosi. By God’s grace that could have happened here. You should have been hoping and praying for that, rather than unjustly and unnecessarily castigating Pope Francis.
CCD editor, you should have posted my 8:39 pm remarks to jon in their entirety. They were neither rude or vulgar but concise and insightful and by omitting them you have changed the entire tone and content of my statement. Jon will be all the lesser for not having a complete reply.
You are on the record “Non” for writing that the Pope is the “leader of her [Pelosi’s] church” (I merely paraphrased those words of yours to make my point). No use denying what you wrote. But you see “Non”, what Pope Francis has done is more than defensible. It is eminently commendable, just as any human father is commended for meeting with his children, and especially those whom others have judged to be hopeless and unworthy. “Non,” don’t be like the elder son in the parable of the “prodigal son”, the elder son who stayed outside sulking and resentful because the wayward, undeserving, unworthy younger child has come in to feast with the father.
So you see “Non”, what Pope Francis has done is more than defensible. It is eminently commendable, just as any human father is commended for meeting with his children, and especially those whom others have judged to be hopeless and unworthy. “Non,” don’t be like the elder son in the parable of the “prodigal son”, the elder son who stayed outside sulking and resentful because the wayward, undeserving, unworthy younger child has come in to feast with the father.
I despair for the world
Pray, hope and don’t worry – the advice of Padre Pio, saint.
People, Pope Francis is the pope of all Catholics. You might not like that he meets with one of his flock, but he’s the pope and Pelosi is one of his Catholics. Criticism of this is petty and uncharitable. We should all smell like the sheep like Pope Francis does and has told us to do. The Pope is Christ’s representative on earth, so humility before his authority and obedience to him are called for.
“We should all smell like the sheep like Pope Francis does and has told us to do…” I think a good number of Catholics would argue, with good reason, that Pope Francis does not like the smell of a number of his sheep, and does not hesitate to say so.
Jesus didn’t just meet with public sinners, he always called them to repentance.
But the Pope calls no one to repentance. No concept of sin, personal responsibility, nor repentance– just “lovey-dovey” fluffy, silly stuff. Nothing important. Different religion.
You are very mistaken about that.
No– not mistaken, cd. The heretical hypocrites are dangerously mistaken, pretending, concocting a “different church,” a false church, and falsely living in it– a fantasy-land. (The hypocritical, heretical Germans are even worse!) No more sin, no more repentance, nothing important any more, according to them. (Some heretical Germans even want to eliminate the priesthood from the church!) Just lots and lots of “lovey-dovey” silly stuff, “pastoral lovey-dovey accompaniment,” the Pope holding hands with “hitman Nancy,” while the child sacrifice of abortion goes on and on and on…
You are bearing false witness.
Better face the facts of phony hypocrite Pharisees, trying to concoct a false “pachamama” church.
Tell the truth.
Pope Francis recently reiterated the church’s teaching on abortion and condemned it in the strongest possible language. Perhaps Pope Francis addressed this issue as a pastor with Speaker Pelosi and provided her with some counsel regarding this matter. We will never know as their conversation is confidential.
jon- All popes are humanly capable of sin– all popes need to go regularly to Confession. If you happen to see a pope publicly commit sins– before Almighty God, do not lie and say, “this is great.” Speak the truth, always.
Fr. James Altman, in his YouTube video, “Monsters in Mitres,” clearly states that blind obedience is not a virtue. The people who hid Anne Frank and her Jewish family from the Nazis, disobeyed the law– and the Nazis who murdered these Jews, were obedient to the law. But our obedience must be only to God. St. Maximillian Kolbe said that our obedience to a bishop ends if the bishop strays from the truth. Today, there are many “monsters in mitres”…
Our obedience must be only to God is not correct. That is not Catholic teaching.
Catholic teaching is that we owe obedience to our parents, to civil authorities and to church authorities. We owe obedience to our boss but not in the same way.
Women should submit to their husbands.
And you do not have to obey sin. There is an obligation to disobey immoral orders.
There are sometimes difficult circumstances where one needs to not only disobey but also to inform authorities.
You weren’t listening. Fr. Altman made it clear– “God first.” Christ said the same thing. That is also what St. Thomas More said, before he was beheaded for disobeying King Henry VIII– “I die the King’s good servant, but God’s first.”
Catechism 101, by obeying civil authorities in all matters except sin, you are obey God.
Same with parents, police officers, bosses,
They are not God but they are God’s representatives.
If they were to tell you to do something immoral, such as commit murder, bear false witness, worship idols, commit sexual sins etc you are obligated to disobey that order.
If they order you to do some of those things, you are obligated to tell civil and maybe church authorities.
As in the case of Anne Frank, if there is a law that you are to hand innocent people over and you know they will be killed, you are obligated to disobey it. However, if you know where a murderer is hiding, you would be obligated to tell, even though he may be tried and punished with the death penalty.
nnn– Exactly right.
The Scriptures clearly explain how to follow Christ– die to the self, die to the flesh, die to your own sinful desires, and walk not in the flesh, which leads to Death– but walk in the Spirit, with Christ, which leads to Eternal Life. Make your bodies a living sacrifice, pleasing to God, for worship of God. Christ has freed us from slavery to the flesh and sin. St. Paul tells it all! Walk in the Spirit with Christ, practice chastity, obey Our Lady– prayer and sacrifice. The first thing, long before the “hitman” commits the child sacrifice of abortion– is to preach how to lead a good Christian life, and to lead the “sheep” daily in Christ’s path. No more “monsters in mitres.”
St. Paul said in Romans Chapter 13 verses 1-2
Let every person be subordinate to the higher authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been established by God.
Therefore, whoever resists authority opposes what God has appointed, and those who oppose it will bring judgment upon themselves.
Many believe Satan’s deviant, pagan lies, that “living by the flesh” brings health and happiness, but this is not true. “Living by the flesh” brings us sin, sickness and death. Walking in the Spirit, with Christ, brings to us our true Health of mind and body, and our true Happiness and Joy, and Eternal Life.
You weren’t listening. Fr. Altman made it clear– “God first.” Christ said the same thing. That is also what St. Thomas More said, before he was beheaded for disobeying King Henry VIII– “I die the King’s good servant, but God’s first.” But You had sad previously: “But our obedience must be only to God.”
So the response was correct: There are other fealties that we are charged with keeping, and that is Scriptural, St. Paul, God first, of course. We should not, however, be bound by unjust laws issued by the state.
Jay– What a strange misunderstanding. A child must be taught to always obey his parents, teachers, nuns, priests, police officers, and all superiors, and when you grow up, obey your boss, police, priests, bishop, etc. They all stand in the place of God on earth– starting with your parents, first. The Fourth Commandment states, “Honor thy father and thy mother.” Also, it was once taught, that a country’s leader, or monarch, also stands in the place of God, on earth. These teachings, from childhood, are the “norm” that we all once were taught, and that all children and all adults used to live by, in our church and in our society. But if a parent or superior tells you to do something evil– no. You must disobey, and refuse. And you must bravely go report them immediately to proper authorities. Many saints have been martyred for refusing to do what is evil. And all Catholic children used to be taught to imitate the saints, always to bravely obey God, and always do what is right– even at the cost of your life.
Fr. Altman has been badly hurt by his bishop. He is pretty “wild,” and disrespectful, with his personal public speaking style, when “calling out” the “bad clerics,” for what they have done wrong. I would not prefer this kind of flamboyant public speaking style, for myself. However, I agree with Fr. Altman’s views. If I were his bishop, I would have simply acknowledged that every priest has their own style, in the pulpit, and I would have respected that.
My lifelong favorite is Ven. Abp. Fulton J. Sheen. Some people have said that his public speaking style would upset them, when he would becomes very “impassioned,” even angry, when speaking about an important subject, and expressing his views. I think Sheen and all clerics are entitled to their public speaking styles, including the way they express themselves and their ideas. And I strongly feel that clerics should become “impassioned,” and raise their voices mightily, against all evils– for example, abortion. Doesn’t Fr. Altman’s bishop, Bp. Callahan, ever raise his voice against evils like abortion, and the sin of voting for abortion-promoting “Catholic” politicians?
If you vote for a politician who promotes an intrinsic evil because they promote or support that evil, you would be guilty of grave sin.
So since their meeting was private, you do not know what they did and did not discuss.
In your fantasies, you wish he had said what?
Yelled at her, called her names, labelled her a baby killer, threatened her with hell, heard her confession? What?
In his “accompaniment” of Speaker Pelosi, which is quite apparent, did the Pope, out of love, speak with her about her ongoing promotion of mass murder and the danger to her soul?
As fathers (or mothers), would any of us facilitate our adult children in the mass murder of innocent babies, the violation of women and girls and yet say nothing?
Pope means Father and the Holy Father is called to be just that, a spiritual father, and a unique and special kind at that.
The Pope said abortion was like hiring hitmen to kill babies. What did he share with this hitwoman?
qui tacet consentire videtur – silence implies consent
We will see if Mrs. Pelosi reverses her lethal course and begins to protect babies and mothers upon her return to Washington and San Francisco.
But, what bishops have been doing the past nearly half-century with Catholic killers has not been effective.
She won’t change because demons gotta demon.
Checking each other for a pulse.
Ok that one was funny. Age-ist though.
I am sure there are a lot of leftists who are upset with Speaker Pelosi for meeting with the Pope.