Pelosi: Why doesn’t Catholic Church punish death penalty supporters?

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Tuesday went after the Catholic Church for what she characterized as its hypocritical position when it comes to the politics of life and death.

Pelosi, a practicing Catholic, was recently barred by the archbishop of San Francisco from taking communion for her support of abortion rights, which the church considers to be homicide at all stages from conception to birth.

Appearing on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Tuesday morning, Pelosi wondered why the archbishop, Salvatore Cordileone, hasn’t applied the same ban to Catholics who support capital punishment.

“I wonder about the death penalty, which I am opposed to,” she said. “So is the church, but they take no action against people who may not share their view.”

The Speaker is no stranger to clashes with Cordileone, a staunch conservative who has long denounced Pelosi’s support for abortion rights, same-sex marriage and other positions favored by liberals. His political views stirred some controversy during the coronavirus pandemic after he revealed in December that he was not vaccinated for COVID-19 and falsely claimed that the inoculation shots “are not really vaccines.”

Cordileone’s feud with Pelosi escalated last week, when he barred her from receiving communion, a central sacrament of the Catholic faith, within his archdiocese. The decision runs counter to the advice of Pope Francis and the Vatican, which have warned against denying communion to abortion rights supporters — an idea that’s gained prominence since President Biden, another Catholic, took over the White House.

In explaining the decision to ignore the Vatican, Cordileone characterized Pelosi’s support for abortion rights as a “grave evil,” a church “scandal” and a “danger to her own soul.”

“I have determined that the point has come in which I must make a public declaration that she is not to be admitted to Hol... (Read more)

Tweets mentioned:

https://twitter.com/ArchCordileone/status/1527727860974161920

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