Topic: CNSNews.com
In May, the uber-Catholics at CNSNews.com cheered when a bishop denied her Communion over her refusal to impose her Catholic faith on the entire country by outlawing abortion. Whwen Pelosi went to the Vatican and met with Pope Francis, they had a little meltdown.
It was foreshadowed in a June 16 article in which intern Janey Olohan was dispatched to Pelosi's weekly press confrenece to ask her a well-rehearsed right-wing gotcha question: "St. John Paul II said in Evangelium Vitae that abortion is murder. Pope Francis told the Pontifical Academy for Life that abortion is 'truly murder.' Do you agree with St. John Paul II and Pope Francis that abortion is murder?" Pelosi knew better than to play along with a clearly biased reporter:
Pelosi replied: "What I agree on is that whatever I believe or agree with the popes on is not necessarily what public policy should be in the United States, as people make their own judgments, honor their own responsibilities, and tend to the needs of their families."
An anonymously written June 29 article reported on the visit and its purported hypocrisy:
Pope Francis met today at the Vatican with Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D.-Calif.) and her husband Paul Pelosi, just two days after the speaker had publicly declared her commitment to pushing Congress to enact legislation “to enshrine Roe v. Wade into the law of the land.”
The Supreme Court last Friday released its opinion in Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health, which declared that there is no federal constitutional right to abortion and that it is, therefore, up to the states to determine their own abortion laws.
On Monday, Pelosi released a “dear colleague” letter she had sent to other Democrats in the House of Representatives that day. The letter expressed her views on how the House should respond to the Dobbs decision.
“Our Caucus has been exploring avenues to protect the health and freedom of American women,” said Pelosi.
“Among them,” she said, “is legislation that: …Once again passes the Women’s Health Protection Act: landmark legislation to enshrine Roe v. Wade into the law of the land.”
Dishonest Catholic and right-wing ragebot Bill Donohue vented his spleen in a column the same day, pretending to be aghast that Pelosi receive Communion at the Vatican:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who rejects the Catholic Church's teachings on abortion, marriage, and sexuality, received Holy Communion on June 29 at a papal Mass in St. Peter's Basilica. The pope was in attendance, but did not give out Communion.
Pelosi's stunt was done to undercut her bishop, San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone: he has told her not to present herself for Communion, citing her lust for abortion rights.
Some will blame the Vatican for what happened; others will blame Pelosi; still others will blame Cordileone. There is only one person to blame — Pelosi.
[...]
Pelosi waiting in line to receive Communion is akin to a murderer waiting in line to pay his respects to his victim at a Catholic wake. The analogy is poignant in more ways than one.
Donohue didn't mention that a single bishop's denial of communion is not binding on other dioceses -- or that Pope Francis himself specifically said not to deny Communion to or excommunicate anyone solely on the issue of abortion.
Another anonymously written article, on July 1, seemed miffed that Pelosi got even more quality time with the pope:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday visited the “Christian community” of Sant’Egidio in Rome after visiting the Vatican and told the people there that she had “had the pleasure of attending Mass this morning with His Holiness.”
“We had the pleasure of attending Mass this morning with His Holiness and many, many, many leaders of the Church,” said Pelosi.
“And [Pope] Francis’ name always reminds me of St. Francis saying: ‘We preach the Gospel; sometimes, use words.’ We also pray that—ask God in his anthem, in his song of St. Francis, to make us all instruments of God’s peace,” she said.
So in the spirit of St. Francis, which is the name of His Holiness and my city of San Francisco, I thank you for preaching the Gospel, sometimes using words,” she said.
The article somehow managed to avoid shoehorning in Pelosi's stance on abortion.
