OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been barred from accepting Holy Communion by the Archbishop of San Francisco over her continued support for abortion at nearly every stage of pregnancy.
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone made the announcement on Friday, Fox News reported, adding that if she attempted to take communion, priests in the Catholic diocese would deny her.
“The Second Vatican Council, in its Decree on the Church in the Modem World, Gaudium et spes, reiterated the Church’s ancient and consistent teaching that ‘from the first moment of conception life must be guarded with the greatest care while abortion and infanticide are unspeakable crimes’,” he wrote in the letter.
“Christians have, indeed, always upheld the dignity of human life in every stage, especially the most vulnerable, beginning with life in the womb. His Holiness, Pope Francis, in keeping with his predecessors, has likewise been quite clear and emphatic in teaching on the dignity of human life in the womb.
“This fundamental moral truth has consequences for Catholics in how they live their lives, especially those entrusted with promoting and protecting the public good of society. Pope St. John Paul II was also quite consistent in upholding this constant teaching of the Church, and frequently reminded us that “those who are directly involved in lawmaking bodies have a ‘grave and clear obligation to oppose’ any law that attacks human life,” he continued.
“For them, as for every Catholic, it is impossible to promote such laws or to vote for them” (cf. Doctrinal Note on some questions regarding the participation of Catholics in political life [November 24, 2002], n. 4, §1). A Catholic legislator who supports procured abortion, after knowing the teaching of the Church, commits a manifestly grave sin which is a cause of most serious scandal to others. Therefore, universal Church law provides that such persons ‘are not to be admitted to Holy Communion’ (Code of Canon Law, can. 915),” the Archbishop wrote.
One prominent pro-life advocate, Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood executive cheered the decision by the archbishop.
“I could not be more elated as a practicing Catholic that Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco has finally barred Speaker Nancy Pelosi from receiving the most Precious Body and Blood of Jesus in Holy Communion,” Johnson posted to her Facebook on Friday following his letter.
Johnson said Pelosi being able to receive communion despite her long record of being pro-abortion “has been an ongoing scandal for many years.”
“Who knows how many Catholics she had led astray by proclaiming her ‘devout faith’ while advocating for the destruction of innocent life through abortion,” the pro-life advocate noted on her Facebook page. “This is our most sacred sacrament as Catholics and to receive it, one must be free of all mortal sin, including the public promotion of abortion, which Speaker Pelosi has been on the forefront of during her many years as a public figure in government.”
“This isn’t about judging someone’s soul or intentions,” Johnson emphasized. “It is about holding fast to the truth of our Catholic faith and the role of all bishops as shepherds of the Church.”
“Abortion is a grave matter and Nancy Pelosi has been on the wrong side of this debate for years, leading who knows how many Catholics astray,” she added. “It is my ardent hope and prayer that President Biden’s archbishop follows the lead of Archbishop Cordileone and forbids him from receiving the Holy Eucharist as well.”
The Daily Wire adds:
Johnson started working for Planned Parenthood under the impression that she would be helping young women, she has previously discussed. Then she learned that abortion was vital to the corporation’s bottom line, and their main concern.
The mother of seven recalled in 2020 that she was asked to assist a physician in an ultrasound-guided abortion. Johnson said she witnessed an “unborn baby desperate to move away from the suction” as the doctor callously joked, “Beam me up, Scotty.”
“The last thing I saw was a spine twirling around in the mother’s womb until succumbing to the force of the suction,” she said.
Her memoir, “Unplanned,” was made into a movie and released in 2019.
