These Catholic Bishops Support Nancy Pelosi’s Anti-Holy Communion Legislation

Washington, DC Newsroom, May 27, 2022 / 8:39 a.m. (CNA).

So far, only a small minority of U.S. bishops have spoken publicly in favor of Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone’s May 20 announcement that he is barring Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi from receiving Holy Communion in the Archdiocese of San Francisco, her home diocese, until she repudiated her longstanding advocacy of abortion.

There are 194 dioceses and archdioceses in the United States Here is a list of those bishops who have spoken out in favor of Cordileone action. Please send updates, with links to online statements if available, to [email protected]

California

Diocese of Oakland

Diocese of Santa Rosa

Bishop Robert Vasa said May 20 that he spoke to the pastor of St. Helena Catholic Church in St. Helena, a parish Pelosi reportedly attended on occasion.

Vasa said, “I visited the pastor of Saint Helena and informed him that if the archbishop forbids someone to receive Holy Communion, that restriction follows the person and the pastor is not not free to ignore it”.

“The new Canon (1379 §4) specifies that giving the sacraments to a person prohibited from receiving them [has] its own possible penalties,” he said.

Colorado

Denver Archdiocese

Illinois

Springfield Diocese

Kansas

Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann issued the following statement May 20:

“I applaud the patient and persistent efforts of Archbishop Cordileone to enlighten President Pelosi on the moral seriousness of her extreme efforts to promote, defend, and initiate legislation to enshrine legalized abortion in federal law. I fully support the pastoral and courageous actions that Archbishop Cordileone has now taken in an effort to awaken the conscience of President Pelosi and at the same time to protect Catholics in the Archdiocese of San Francisco and throughout the country from confusion by President Pelosi’s radical support for abortion, while claiming to be a faithful Catholic. I pray that President Pelosi changes her mind.

Nebraska

Lincoln Diocese

Oklahoma

Archdiocese of Oklahoma City

Oregon

Diocese of Baker

Bishop Liam Cary released the following statement May 20:

“Representative Nancy Pelosi proudly combines the ‘devout’ practice of the Catholic faith in her personal life with the high-profile promotion of legalized abortion in her political life. The outrageous discrepancy between belief and behavior on the part of the President of the House seriously misleads his co-religionists about Catholic teaching on social justice and seriously handicaps Catholic efforts to defend unborn life in the womb.

Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone repeatedly brought these sad facts to Rep. Pelosi’s attention and called her to repentance. In response, the President defiantly doubled down on her uncompromising plea for unlimited abortion, setting herself up as an example for Catholic politicians who deliberately stray from the saving clarity of the gospel of life. At the same time, by choosing to actively ally herself with the most extreme proponents of abortion, Rep. Pelosi has unilaterally severed communion with Archbishop Cordileone and the flock he leads. She withdrew from fellowship with the Church.

In a letter addressed to the President on May 19, Bishop Cordileone recognized this sad rupture for what it is and made her aware of its consequences: she must not come to Holy Communion until she has not publicly renounced his support for abortion, made a sacramental confession, and received absolution. These terms invite Rep. Pelosi back to fellowship and show her the way forward on the Church’s terms, not her own. May our merciful Lord grant him the grace to accept them. May he strengthen Bishop Cordileone so that he walks the path of courage with confidence.

Texas

Diocese of Tyler

Bishop Joseph Strickland said May 25 that Pelosi would be barred from receiving communion in the East Texas Diocese of Tyler.

He wrote on Twitter: “Concern for Mrs. Pelosi’s eternal salvation extends to the Diocese of Tyler. She’s banned from fellowship here until she repents and stops advocating child murder. Pray for his heart to turn to God and away from the power of this world.

washington state

Spokane Diocese

Wisconsin

Diocese of Green Bay

Diocese of Madison

Bishop Donald Hying backed Cordileone saying, “I fully support Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone’s prudent decision to acknowledge that Speaker of the House of Representatives, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, has consistently taken public stances in favor of abortion. legal, contrary to his professed Catholic faith, choosing to separate himself from full communion with the Catholic Church, and therefore is not to appear for the reception of Holy Communion in the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

Hying said “Cordileone’s public statement has made it clear that this serious step is ‘purely pastoral, not political’ in a further attempt” to help her understand the grave harm she is doing, the outrage she is causing. and danger to itself. the soul she risks…’”

Virginia

Diocese of Arlington

Bishop Michael F. Burbidge said May 25 that he would abide by the ban imposed by Cordileone because of Pelosi’s strong advocacy for the legalization of abortion.

“He is its bishop and as a bishop, the direction and guidance he provides is not limited to one geographic area,” Burbidge said on his diocese’s “The Walk Humbly Podcast.” His comments were first reported by the Arlington Catholic Herald, the diocesan newspaper.

“I cannot say it enough, (these) decisions are made for the good of individuals in order to protect the faithful from scandal”, which is caused when Catholics in public office take positions that contradict the teaching of the Church,” the bishop said, according to the newspaper article. “It confuses people and a bishop has to guard against that.”

Burbidge revealed that although he did not publicly announce that anyone should not receive Communion in his diocese, “I have privately shared this directive with people who have continually scandalized the Church by holding a personal Catholic identity while publicly advocating for abortion or other inherent moral principles”. ailments,” the newspaper reports.

“All people, including those who are not public people, should approach the sacraments truly in communion with the Church and Our Lord,” Burbidge said.