Vatican City, Feb 18, 2009 / 10:18 am (CNA).- House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s photo-op with Pope Benedict XVI turned sour when the Pontiff used the 15-minute meeting to reaffirm the teachings of the Catholic Church on the right to life and the duty to protect the unborn.
No photo of Nancy Pelosi and the Pope will be forthcoming, since the meeting was closed to reporters and photographers. The two met in a small room in the Vatican just after the Pope’s weekly public audience.
Immediately after the meeting, the Holy See’s press office released a statement saying, “following the general audience the Holy Father briefly greeted Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, together with her entourage.”
“His Holiness took the opportunity to speak of the requirements of the natural moral law and the Church’s consistent teaching on the dignity of human life from conception to natural death which enjoin all Catholics, and especially legislators, jurists and those responsible for the common good of society, to work in co-operation with all men and women of good will in creating a just system of laws capable of protecting human life at all stages of its development.”
A significant number of Catholic and pro-life organizations expressed concern over how Pelosi would use the meeting with Pope Benedict to further her position that it is possible to be Catholic and pro-abortion.
Last August, Pelosi was rebuked by several U.S. bishops for attempting to theologically justify her position during an interview with “Meet the Press.”
On Tuesday, Jon O’Brien, president of “Catholics for Choice,” a small, well-funded organization that provides theological arguments to pro-abortion Catholic politicians, told The Hill that today’s visit between the Speaker and Pope Benedict would be an opportunity to highlight that one can be pro-choice and Catholic, and that there are much bigger issues out there to discuss, such as the fate of the poor in the global economic downturn.
“That would be a real conversation about choice, instead of this micro-obsession with abortion,” O’Brien said.
Nevertheless, according to the Holy See’s statement, the Pope spent the whole 15 minute conversation talking with Pelosi about the right to life and the need to defend the unborn.
A spokesman for Pelosi, who is now headed to Southern Italy as part of her Italian tour, said she would issue a statement later in the day regarding her meeting with the Pope.
I already love Pope Benedict XVI, but this makes me add a double scoop of loving on top. I best Nancy Pelosi felt just as comfortable as the Clintons did at the prayer breakfast with Blessed Mother Teresa when she firmly reminded them about life.
In related news it turns out that Nancy Pelosi finally met with her archbishop on the 8th of Feb. It would give me great joy if she does turn towards protecting life – though I am not holding my breath in the main time.
The meeting with the Pope was closed to reporters. But inside sources tell me that the Speaker of the House’s expression was much like this.
26 comments
The Vatican in spreading the truths of Christs, are not concerned about Nancy Pelosi’s political contituants, as they should not be. Christ is not going to be concerned about that, people… If she is catholic, she should be truthful, and speak of the teachings of Christ, not what her constituants want. I am so proud to be a Catholic!!! God bless our great pope, Benedict!!!
Miracles do happen…..they can happen…..maybe they WILL happen in pelosi’case.
One can only prayer and be hopeful.
Ok, she’s met with the Holy Father, and her own archbishop. Now, if she doesn’t mend her ways, what will happen next?
If she doesn’t mend her ways now, uncharitable as it may sound, we can only assume willful ignorance on her part. If she won’t listen to the highest authority on Earth, then not more can be done for her but shake the dust from our feet. We can pray for her anyway, remembering that for God nothing is impossible, but any dialogue will be pointless. I am also praying for Obama. I will, however, be surprised if those prayers will be answered, and they suddenly start defending human life. I believe miracles do happen, but I don’t count on them.
Oh, that photo is just WRONG!!! Am I bad for chuckling at it?
Well, it looks the Vatican press office is being more timely and proactive. It did a great job of setting the tone of the meeting before Pelosi’s team did any spinning. Maybe they are learning something from the SSPX media debacle.
You guys don’t seem to understand that Nancy represents the will of her constituents in Congress. She is pro-choice because her constituency is pro-choice. If she were to suddenly take an anti-choice position, she would be replaced in Congress post haste by someone who was more to the constituents’ liking. The Pope can say what he pleases, but he can’t change the U.S. voters and that’s who Nancy Pelosi has to answer to.
I love B16 as much as the next guy but where was his stance on her receiving Holy Communion? She is living in grave sin and as the Pope, he should remind her that she CANNOT receive the Eucharist.
Very likely Pelosi would be drummed out of the Democratic party if she changed her mind about abortion, but that doesn’t justify her in any way. If you can’t be a Democratic politician without supporting the murder of infants, then clearly you should not be a Democratic politician. A doctor working for Planned Parenthood might make the same excuse — I’m paid to perform this procedure, and if I didn’t perform it I’d be fired. That would be true, but it doesn’t excuse him. If one’s chosen profession requires one to perform or support moral atrocities, it’s time to start looking for a new job.
Mary-Lee,
So if her constituents were racist she would have to have a racist voting record?
Sorry we pick our representatives not to just rubber stamp the so-called will of the people, but to follow the truth and vote accordingly. If you are willing to violate your conscience just because there might be a majority of people who support an evil, then you are a hypocrite and have no backbone.
Besides this is a matter of the natural law where everybody can come to know that murder is wrong.
Mary-Lee,
A question that always springs to mind when I hear your “personally opposed, but” argument is this:If it’s a choice between supporting abortion against your conscience or relinquishing power altogether, why do these pols uniformly choose the former? If they really believe they are obliged to support anything a majority of their constituency supports, why is it that when it is something they believe to be evil they don’t have the integrity to step down? Either they aren’t really opposed to the moral evil or their love for power is greater than their principles. Those aren’t two very attractive alternatives.
As St. Thomas More said in A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS:
“I think that when statesmen forsake their own private conscience for the sake of their public duties they lead their country by a short route to chaos.”
I am so thankful that our Pope told Mrs. Polosi the things he did. We have been emailing out senators and congressmen and even the president to Please not sing the Freedom of Choice act int law. That is murder no matter how you feel. And the unborn cannot fight for themselves. After that is law, what else will our poloticians sign into law??? Get rid of the elderly??The handicapped???the mentally challanged?? And the list could go on and on. Thank You Pope Benedict. And may God bless you.
Sincerely,
Joella C, Lease
P.O. Box 636
Iota, Louisiana 70543
USA
His Holiness behaved perfectly.
Wonderful news on behalf of the Pope… to bad Nancy can’t even admit that this is what was said. She would rather beat around the bush and act as if her and B16 are life long friends.
Nancy Pelosi is a NATIONAL CATHOLIC DISGRACE and to present herself for only the OPPORTUNITY to have a PHOTO OP with the pope that she could splatter thruout all the liberal news media, which in essence would give her some legitimacy in her PRO ABORT stance….”SEE I MET WITH THEPOPE AND I AM PRO ABORT AND CATHOLIC” Thanks be to God he smacked down any photos ops…….
To those on this site who PRAY for her conversion………….FORGET IT! The woman has made her CHOICES QUITE CLEAR and she is a CHARTER
member of all PRO ABORT GROUPS…..she has made her choice and pray for her soul…..It is amazing to me that people who have MUCH in the way of wealth, POWER and their ego intellect?????
are not cognitent of the BACIC FACT ABORTION is.MURDER..INFANTCIDE.GRAVE SIN and one that I truly believe when we close our eyes in death and re-open them in judgment to our Lord
that we have to ANSWER for this GROSS MORAL EVIL and the lack of any MORAL WORTHYNESS to THYSELF in REGARDS to PROTECTING the INNOCENTS.
She is in my opinion a BAD EXAMPLE to MILLIONS of CATHOLIC FAITHFUL and needs “just church” chastisment to stay away from theEUCHARIST….IT is GOD she is RECEIVING not a pieceof wafer and red wine but her GOD! REAL AND TRUE! AND she offends HIM GREATLY by agreeing to the KILLING OF HIS MILLIONS OF BABIES!
THIS is our NATION now people ! CATHOLICS who ARE only interested in THEMSELVES and where THEY can BENEFIT and not the LITTLE ONES SLAUGHTERED at A WHIM! GOD HAVE MERCY ON US ALL!!! HIS wrath is longgggggg overdue.
Nice photo. I would say that was an ardent expression.
“Catholics for Choice”???? If that ain’t an oxymoron (with stress on the “moron” part), what is?
BMP
Mary-Lee said: “She is pro-choice because her constituency is pro-choice. If she were to suddenly take an anti-choice position, she would be replaced in Congress post haste by someone who was more to the constituents’ liking. The Pope can say what he pleases, but he can’t change the U.S. voters and that’s who Nancy Pelosi has to answer to.”
Pelosi ultimatley answers to Jesus Christ, the King of kings. Better to be kicked out of Congress than kicked out of the kingdom of God. It’s not only about the innocents who are killed, but also the souls of those responsible for the killing.
You guys don’t seem to understand that Nancy represents the will of her constituents in Congress. She is pro-choice because her constituency is pro-choice. If she were to suddenly take an anti-choice position, she would be replaced in Congress post haste by someone who was more to the constituents’ liking. The Pope can say what he pleases, but he can’t change the U.S. voters and that’s who Nancy Pelosi has to answer to.
Morality is not contingent on popular opinion. The right to life is not up for debate. There is wrong and there is right – they are absolutes and abortion is wrong.
Pelosi’s salvation is more important than the will of her constituents.
THEY may vote her out of office, but Nancy – like the rest of us, including her constituents – will have to answer to God at the end of their lives, or time, for the decisions they made with God’s gift of free will. We have made more than enough efforts to teach and counsel on issues of life…Pelosi and others know what they’re doing and they CHOOSE not to follow the Church’s teachings. The consequences for doing so will fall squarely on them. People like me, who defend life, are going to be absolved of any wrongdoing when our warnings are so consistently ignored.
It’s much more preferable to be voted out of office than to spend the afterlife in eternal separation from God. The folks in San Francisco have, for the most part, attempted to do that here on earth and they’re still a pretty unhappy lot, aren’t they?
Jeff:
Please correct me if I’m mistaken: The process of excommunication follows three steps.
1) Privately tell the culprit to recant.
2) Publicly, do so.
3) Excommunicate.
From the link you provided is clear that Niederauer:
A) Fails miserably to follow the steps ordered in Rome’s Law.
B) Sets up this horrendous scandal for one billion Catholic (less than 5 % in USA): that the Speaker of the most powerful country on earth is CONSENTED to name herself Catholic, while leading the abortion-burcherer lawmakers.
And, forces the Vatican to receive officially her in that capacity.
WHILE THIS SCANDAL IS ALLOWED TO PERSIST, AND NOBODY IS ASKING Niederauer TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY, THE MISLEADED CATHOLICS BY THIS SCANDAL WILL COUNTINUE TO GROW.
Your link: “Nancy Pelosi Has Met with Abp Niederauer – Feb 8th Prior to the presidential election, when Ms. Pelosi perverted Church teaching on Meet the Press in an effort to get votes for Obama, she was publicly corrected by a good many bishops, including her own…
In his lengthy column on the matter, Archbishop Niederauer invited Ms. Pelosi to a private schooling meeting on September 5, 2008 Thanks to Real Catholic TV, we have learned today that a meeting did take place, on February 8th, quietly in a third-party home…
Bishops need a dose of holy boldness in order to emerge from political correctness for fear of losing federal/state funds. The extermination of human babies in the wombs of their mothers is a crime against humanity the like of which mankind has never known…
Cordially
Dear Mr Curt Jester,
I read with interest your conversion to the catholic faith Easter 1999. Well sir now welcome to near your 10th ANNIVERSARY!
How ya liking the FAITH? Nothing like being at your true HOME. Is it not just inexplainable to receive the FULLNESS of the TRUTH? To receive the body blood soul and divinity of our Lord in the most holy EUCHARIST? I find myself at times near tears at the MAGNIFICANT GIFT HE LEFT US to take unto ourselves untill we meet Him again. Praise be to GOD!
GOD BLESS YOU and continue the GOOD FIGHT we NEED it. It will take I think the LAYMENS VOICES to CLEAR out the OFFENDERS in POLITICS who PROVIDE “PUBLIC” scandal to the abortion laws they pass, then march up to get their GOD! Their is a DEMONIC PRESSENCE happening in that very action. THEY VOTE TO MURDER “BABIES!”
Yes we are told to pray and fast, that is the way to get hardened hearts to conversion, I am LOSING hope in that!!!! I feel like Saint Monica praying over that bum son AUGUSTINE and FINALLY he turns around and she ups and dies…….Well he made it so her prayers were answered.
As for these Catholic Pols it appears DIFFERENT. There is a STRANGENESS as I said DEMONIC PRESSENCE at play due in fact to their PUBLIC AND OUTRIGHT SPIT in the FACE ATTITUDE! I honestly have come to beleive that they actually think theyare doing NOTHING WRONG! Here is where a GOOD BISHOP STEPS UP AND CLEARS THE AIR.and TOSSES EM untill they change their WAYS!..we as laymen stand by in HORROR at these people and WAIT for OUR BISHOPS to ACT!
HAVE A GOOD LENT CURT JESTER!
Esther,
You say “To those on this site who PRAY for her conversion………….FORGET IT! …she has made her choice and pray for her soul”
I think that now is the time to pray more fervently for her conversion. What sort of prayer do we pray for her soul if we are not praying for her conversion? We pray for the conversion of all sinners, ourselves included, and especially for those in most need of God’s mercy.
To depend on her conversion in the near future is one thing, (who knows how often or for how long God will allow us to suffer the effects of our collective political choices?) but to pray for her conversion is an obligation.
Joanne, We ALL get weary and I am feeling my wearyness…………..surely I will again be lifted up again in my fullness of prayer for her & others conversion as I also pray for mine and my soul as well. I NEVER PUT MYSELF ABOVE ANYONE!!!! In FACT quite the CONTRARY! The longer I live the more I see my errors in thinking, acting and NOT being as I should as a CATHOLIC! So I hope that dispels anythought on your part that I am ignorant to the facts about continuing prayer, its as I said at times MORE DIFFICULT then others, after all we are just flesh and blood.
There is a matter to consider and that is that in MATTHEWS gospel there is a man pocessed with such strong demons that the apostles say to the Lord what are we to do we pray and fast and nothing is working……….????? He tells them that some DEMONS are STRONGER THAN OTHERS and NEED MORE FAST AND DEEPER PRAYER……SO I think that is the answer, I do not think anytime soon we shall see ANY coversion of these pols that INSIST on their RIGHTS to VOTE to KILL BABIES…..I would LOVE IT TO BE but I think Satan has never been more powerful in his attacks then these times, he knows I believe that his time is near and he wages non stop warfare and he is enbedding people as we know he can, not necessarily POSSESION but OBSESSION…meaning that he attaches to them and hits at their weakest point and strikes….It is foolish to not recognize that he is at work and he has made a few strides the lst year, we know he does not win the war but the battles are on.
May your Lent be a GOOD ONE!
Hey Curt Jester, I very much like the top photo of our beloved John Paul II alongside the Sacred Heart of Jesus, one of my most favorite images of our Lord. I so miss JP2 he would I think in his prime have handled this whole church mess sooooooooo well. In later years his illness took its toll and it so showed. Gosh I love him, I felt as if I had a special CLOSENESS to him as many many did, he was unique and good and would be of such aid to us now in the world. No other can ever be again what he was to our church as our spirtual leader on earth. JP2 please pray for the church and all of us.
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