Speaker Nancy Pelosi Flexes Her Cafeteria Catholicism on Abortion, Immigration
by Tom McClusky
May 11, 2010
LifeNews.com Note: Tom McClusky is the Senior Vice President of Family Research Council and FRC Action, its legislative arm that has been lobbying against the pro-abortion Senate health care bill.
During the 2008 elections Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) tried to imply the Catholic Church was “flexible” on the whole abortion is a mortal sin thing.
This prompted about 8 bishops and a host of Catholic scholars to take her to task – pointing out that “the Catechism of the Catholic Church states: ‘Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law’ (No. 2271)
Ignoring the public scolding Speaker Pelosi continued to misconstrue Catholic teaching during the recent health care debate, stating: “I have some concerns about the church’s position respecting a woman’s right to choose. . . .I practically mourn this difference of opinion because I feel what I was raised to believe is consistent with what I profess, and that is that we are all endowed with a free will and a responsibility to answer for our actions. And that women should have that opportunity to exercise their free will.”
As I pointed out at the time the Catechism allows that we are all endowed with free will and the ability to choose evil or good – but we also are then responsible for our choices and bound to them for eternity.
Free will does not give human beings the ability to choose what is good or evil, as Speaker Pelosi suggest. Not that it would matter to the Speaker, but the Catholic Church sees abortion as an intrinsic evil – meaning that something is always and everywhere wrong.
Later on in the debate Speaker Pelosi lied about the position of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) on the issue of abortion in the health care bill that ultimately passed saying that there is no funding of abortion in the health care bill – despite the fact the USCCB made it clear they knew there WAS such government funding in the bill.
Also during the debate one of Speaker Pelosi’s lieutenants, Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) threatened the USCCB with an IRS audit because of their position on the health care bill and abortion funding.
The Speaker and her allies seem to be singing a different tune now that they potentially agree with the Catholic Church on the issue of immigration, and once again she is positioning herself as an expert on Catholic teaching.
She even wants them to support her immigration bill from the pulpit: “The cardinals, the archbishops, the bishops that come to me and say, ‘We want you to pass immigration reform. And I say, ‘But I want you to speak about it from the pulpit.’ I want you to instruct your, whatever the communication is — the people, some of them, oppose immigration reform are sitting in those pews and you have to tell them that this is a ‘manifestation of our living the gospels.’”
Speaker Pelosi might be comfortable from her position as a “Cafeteria Catholic,” only following the Catholic doctrines she wants to – but I hope the “The cardinals, the archbishops, the bishops” who come to her on immigration are also bringing up the Speakers deficiencies on key points of Catholic teaching.
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