Doesn't make a lot a sense to try to pin something on the Holy Father here. I get the optics from an American perspective, but denying communion at the Vatican hasn't been the practice of the Church in modern times. Maybe it should be, but it's something that would need a lot of thinking through beyond the American implications.
The better way for Francis to make an impact would be on the bishops he chooses to favor and advance. He clearly favors the types of bishops who disagree with Cordileone, even if you can make an argument that some of his rhetoric is supportive of the decision the San Francisco archbishop made. In other words his actions don't match his words.
The whole public papping of Catholics at Church just seems off to me. We can witness and teach without doing that. It just seems like the tale of the Pharisees way vs Jesus way from Scripture.
I was livid when I heard she was given communion and this article has calmed me down a bit. She seems to want to push the limit but I still can’t see why those in power couldn’t have warned all not to distribute to her. It just seems like the right thing to do is not that difficult.
I am confused - I was informed repeatedly that it was Cordileone who was politicizing the issue. This seems like just another campaign stop for Madam Speaker, who is using the Church as a backdrop.
You hold the body of Christ in your hand. Do you really have no problem in giving it to somebody who openly defies teaching of the Church in the most public manner and what is more promotes that view from a position of considerable power? I do not think diplomacy, politics or the customs of the Vatican have any relevance in answering that question. Are we to believe that Pelosi will not use that incident to promote the idea that the Church is not really serious about the ban on abortion? Maybe it was her planned intention to receive communion in order to promote that view?
You know what I always, always see left out in these conversations? There is never a mention of the requirement to be in a state of grace before presenting oneself to receive Communion. We are, all of us, required to be in a state of grace. For ordinary people, of course, the priest must take it on trust that the recipient is in such a state. Nancy Pelosi has been very publicly flouting this requirement for YEARS. I understand the delicate nature of the diplomatic dance which the Vatican must perform, but is it really too much to ask for a rousing homily on the subject? By all means, let's not create a spectacle in the Communion line, but why shouldn't an attempt be made to make an unrepentant sinner squirm a bit in the pews?
My teen daughter and I were at St Peter’s two weeks ago (on the Italian feast day of Corpus Christi), privileged enough to attend Mass. To my utter shock, the Italian-speaking priest distributing Communion denied it to two women in line in front of me. So please don’t tell me it’s not the policy of the Vatican to deny Holy Communion to anyone!!!
Seems to me Pelosi knows exactly what she is doing and has no repentance whatsoever. She certainly appears in Rome with the Pope frequently, in between speeches touting abortion as 'healthcare' and claiming it is a 'right'.
Doesn't make a lot a sense to try to pin something on the Holy Father here. I get the optics from an American perspective, but denying communion at the Vatican hasn't been the practice of the Church in modern times. Maybe it should be, but it's something that would need a lot of thinking through beyond the American implications.
The better way for Francis to make an impact would be on the bishops he chooses to favor and advance. He clearly favors the types of bishops who disagree with Cordileone, even if you can make an argument that some of his rhetoric is supportive of the decision the San Francisco archbishop made. In other words his actions don't match his words.
So if Pelosi is Audrey Hepburn, who's Gregory Peck?
On this and many other issues, it’s hard not to feel gaslit by the Pope and the college of bishops at large. They say one thing, and do another.
The whole public papping of Catholics at Church just seems off to me. We can witness and teach without doing that. It just seems like the tale of the Pharisees way vs Jesus way from Scripture.
I was livid when I heard she was given communion and this article has calmed me down a bit. She seems to want to push the limit but I still can’t see why those in power couldn’t have warned all not to distribute to her. It just seems like the right thing to do is not that difficult.
I am confused - I was informed repeatedly that it was Cordileone who was politicizing the issue. This seems like just another campaign stop for Madam Speaker, who is using the Church as a backdrop.
You hold the body of Christ in your hand. Do you really have no problem in giving it to somebody who openly defies teaching of the Church in the most public manner and what is more promotes that view from a position of considerable power? I do not think diplomacy, politics or the customs of the Vatican have any relevance in answering that question. Are we to believe that Pelosi will not use that incident to promote the idea that the Church is not really serious about the ban on abortion? Maybe it was her planned intention to receive communion in order to promote that view?
Excellent article. This was much more thorough than a mere "Nothing to see here. Move along."
You know what I always, always see left out in these conversations? There is never a mention of the requirement to be in a state of grace before presenting oneself to receive Communion. We are, all of us, required to be in a state of grace. For ordinary people, of course, the priest must take it on trust that the recipient is in such a state. Nancy Pelosi has been very publicly flouting this requirement for YEARS. I understand the delicate nature of the diplomatic dance which the Vatican must perform, but is it really too much to ask for a rousing homily on the subject? By all means, let's not create a spectacle in the Communion line, but why shouldn't an attempt be made to make an unrepentant sinner squirm a bit in the pews?
My teen daughter and I were at St Peter’s two weeks ago (on the Italian feast day of Corpus Christi), privileged enough to attend Mass. To my utter shock, the Italian-speaking priest distributing Communion denied it to two women in line in front of me. So please don’t tell me it’s not the policy of the Vatican to deny Holy Communion to anyone!!!
You’re trying to cover for Francis here, but I am not convinced. A totally discouraging act for pro-life Catholics. A scandal.
Seems to me Pelosi knows exactly what she is doing and has no repentance whatsoever. She certainly appears in Rome with the Pope frequently, in between speeches touting abortion as 'healthcare' and claiming it is a 'right'.
What about today's Reuters interview? Didn't it seem like he was calling the archbishop "unpastoral"?