Nancy Pelosi has just upped the stakes in her high profile battle with Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone over abortion. This past weekend, Pelosi met with Pope Francis at the Vatican to discuss migration, human rights and climate change. Its pretty clear that Pelosi is using this meeting to challenge Cordileone’s authority on the abortion issue.
Here’s a recap of the debate that has taken place so far this year:
- April 28: Associated Press reports that U.S. Bishops are considering issuing a statement that Catholic politicians cannot receive Communion if they persist in public advocacy of abortion.
- May 1: Archbishop Cordileone issues a powerful pastoral letter stating that unwavering pro-abortion Catholics must be denied Communion.
- May 7: Vatican issues letter to the U.S. Bishops stating that abortion debate on Communion and abortion should not lead to division.
- May 13: Nancy Pelosi says she is ‘pleased’ with Vatican Letter to U.S. Bishops on Communion.
- May 14: Responding to a question from a reporter on whether she should receive Communion given her pro-abortion position, Pelosi says ‘I can use my own judgement on that.’
- May 17: Responding to Pelosi’s comments, Archbishop Cordileone issues a statement saying “We must never lose sight of this fact, in the last 50 years, in the United States alone, 66,000,000 babies have been murdered in their mothers’ wombs.”
- June 3: During an interview on EWTN, Cordileone stated we need a ‘major effort’ to ‘re-catechize’ Catholics on the worthy reception of the Eucharist.
- June 17: Pelosi dodges question on whether an unborn child is a human being at 15 weeks.
- June 18: U.S. bishops approve “teaching document” addressing Catholic politicians who support abortion rights.
- June 18: 60 Catholic Congressional Democrats issue a “Statement of Principles” in response to U.S. bishops decision to issue a teaching document on the Eucharist.
- June 23: Cordileone responds to the “Statement of Principles” with a point-by-point re rebuttal of the Democrat’s positions.
- July 22: Pelosi cites her Catholic faith while defending taxpayer-funded abortion.
- July 23: Cordileone rebukes Pelosi stating no devout Catholic can condone abortion, ‘let alone have the government pay for it.’
- August 1: Cordileone rebukes Pelosi a second time for blocking a vote on banning taxpayer funding of abortion.
- September 1: Pelosi characterizes Texas’ ban on abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected is a “catastrophe to women” in the state.
- September 22: Cordileone warns that the abortion bill to be voted on in Congress amounts to “child sacrifice,” calling upon Catholics to pray and fast for the bill’s defeat.
- September 23: Pelosi replies to Cordileone saying “it’s none of our business” to tell others they can’t have abortions, that no one has the right to talk about the issue unless they’ve given birth – and that she and Archbishop Cordileone disagree about who should decide whether or not an unborn child is aborted.
- September 25: Cordileone defended Catholic moral teaching in a Washington Post op-ed, writing that abortion is “the most pressing human rights challenge of our time” and that Catholic politicians who advocate — or legislate — in favor of it are not Catholics in good standing and should be denied Communion.
- September 30: Cordileone announces plan to storm Heaven with prayers for Pelosi, stating “I am therefore inviting all Catholics to join in a massive and visible campaign of prayer and fasting for Speaker Pelosi. Commit to praying one Rosary a week and fasting on Fridays for her conversion of heart.”
The time is rapidly approaching in which Archbishop Cordileone will have act regarding the scandal that has been created by Pelosi who claims she can be a ‘devout Catholic’ while simultaneously supporting the killing children in the womb. Please pray for Archbishop Cordilone to have courage as he discerns his next steps.