Pelosi, Archbishop To Meet Over Abortion Dispute

“In the old days the Dominicans would have been involved in the discussion. I miss the old days. :o)”

Yes, there is a lot to recommend tradition!!

Priests defrocked for child abuse:

http://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&channel=s&hl=en&q=priests+defrocked+for+child+abuse&btnG=Google+Search

Thank you for the explanation.

From what you know of this Archbishop, do you think he will actually go as far as excommunicating her if she remains defiant or will he try to get around the issue in some way?

Excommunicating the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives is a big deal. Will he do that without getting some backing from the Vatican?

You’ll probably have a seat next to Pelosi on the Gehenna Express.

Unfortunately, Abp Neiderauer is a well-known liberal squish. He has refused to deal with her in the past, and I’m sure he’s only doing this because there has been so much criticism of his silence on the matter. I suspect it’s probably also because he got a phone call from Rome telling him that the matter really wasn’t up to him any more.

Cdl Egan reached an agreement with Giuliani that Giuliani would not present himself for Communion, although the specific issue in that case was Giuliani’s third marriage. Giuliani has never challenged this, to my knowledge.

I’m sure Abp Neiderauer would like to pursuade Pelosi to do the same thing - that is, regard herself as excommunicated and simply refrain from going to Communion, although without a public statement. I don’t think he’s going to get off the hook this easily though. For one thing, the issue is much more visible and it’s not something that deals with her private life but with her public words and actions as a public leader. I don’t see how he can quietly make the whole thing go away this time.

Now, I don't know if it was Giuliani, but I remember that at the time of the Pope's visit, SOMEbody had an agreement with his bishop not to present himself for communion . . . but then he went and did it anyway at a Papal Mass.

Am I remembering this correctly? Who was it?

Thank you again for your reply.

There is only so long that this issue can continue to fester and grow and grow - and some good might come out of Pelosi’s making it all so public. Sooner or later the Catholic Church is going to have to make a statement, in the form of excommunicating some prominent Catholic who persistently defies Church doctrine.

It was Giuliani, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

If they ever begin excommunicating in the USA, they will soon have no church

And what, pray tell, happened to Giuliani as a result?

Although I suppose we might not know. Giuliani certainly would never tell, and I suppose Cdl. Egan wouldn't either . . . .

LOL, I don’t know what he said but it must have been nasty.

Our priest expounded on this at Mass this evening do even those who don’t pay close attention are going to hear about it. I know a few Catholics in my parish who are pro-choice and I think he gave them something to think about.

I don’t think Nancy would be allowed to take communion in our parish.

All I know is that there was a flap about it at the time and it was a source of embarrassment to Cardinal Egan. But it died down very quickly, at least in public.

I’m certain she will be offered a chance to confess and repent.

In case you haven't noticed, liberals aren't very good at admitting they are wrong.

The Nancy woman's response seems to suggest that she wants to trade her support for Illegal Aliens (presumably her thinking that the RCs will do anything to fill the pews) for the Archbishop's acceptance of the killing of babies.

If so she'd best come with a Kevlar vest or something. She's going to be EXORCISED Fur Shur.

Ah, to be a fly on the wall during that conversation!

"I hope the Archbishop hand delivers a letter to Nancy that she has been excommunicated and must publicly renounce her position on abortion."

I'd prefer the letter just be read from every pulpit in the diocese.

"Giuliani certainly would never tell, and I suppose Cdl. Egan wouldn't either . . . "

I'm not a big Giuliani fan, and while I can't pretend to know what's in his heart or mind, I suspect he's not in compliance with Catholic theology in a lot of areas. Having said that, I've never heard him pretend to speak on the Church's behalf and tell Rome how it's Catechism was to be interpreted the way that Pelosi has.

Flash: Pelosi *accepts* the Niederauer invitation {updated}

Flash: Pelosi accepts the Niederauer invitation {updated}

{updated 1:00pm - see below}

This comes as a surprise to me.

The Associated Press reports (and so far only they are covering it):

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, under fire from U.S. bishops for comments she made about abortion, accepted on Friday an invitation from the Roman Catholic archbishop of San Francisco for a private talk.

Pelosi said in a letter to Archbishop George Niederauer that she'd "welcome the opportunity for our personal conversation and to go beyond our earlier most cordial exchange about immigration and needs of the poor to Church teaching on other significant matters."

...While Pelosi's letter said she was interested in speaking about "church teaching on other significant matters," it did not mention abortion specifically. Her spokesman has defended her comments, saying in a previous statement that the congresswoman "fully appreciates the sanctity of family."

(See my commentary on Abp. Niederauer's letter here.)

Okay, let's examine these scant details. There's no mention of a date, and if there were I'd imagine it would have made it into the story. As the story notes, there is no reference to abortion (why beat around the bush like that?). And we don't have a copy of the actual letter.

At least she has obligated herself to eventually having the meeting. That's something.

And in completely unrelated news, the Associated Press also reports:

A light earthquake has rattled the San Francisco Bay area. The U.S. Geological Survey's preliminary report put the quake at a 4.0 magnitude. The temblor hit just after 9 p.m. and could be felt throughout the region. There were no immediate reports of damage.

Hmm, I wonder when Abp. Niederauer found out he might actually have to follow through on his offer?

update: Diogenes also takes a look at what this episode means.

The list of Bishops speaking out against her is growing too!

Thursday, September 04, 2008

Updated: American Bishops who have spoken against Pelosi

Here is the complete list of American bishops who have responded to Nancy Pelosi's comments so far:

Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver was the first American bishop to respond
... Bishop James Conley, his auxiliary, joined him
Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington DC responded twice, first in a press release and second in a statement to The Hill. He has also appeared on Fox News, I am told.
Cardinal Justin Regali of Philadelphia, chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities, issued this statement through the USCCB website...
... Bishop William Lori of Bridgeport, chairman of the Committee on Doctrine, joined him
Cardinal Edward Egan of New York publised a strongly worded statement of his own
Bishop Samuel Aquila of Fargo issued a letter correcting Pelosi's claims
Bishop David Zubik of Pittsburgh and...
... Bishop Michael Sheridan of Colorado Springs have chimed-in
Archbishop Jose Gomez of San Antonio, CNA reports has added his voice ...
... Bishop Oscar Cantu, his auxiliary bishop, has joined him
Bishop William Murphy of Rockville has published an extensive letter
Bishop Edward Slatter of Tulsa adds himself to the list
Bishop Kevin Farrell of Dallas has joined the USCCB's efforts
Bishop Gregory Aymond of Austin is on-board
Bishop James Slattery of Tulsa has a detailed response
Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston mentions the USCCB on his blog
Bishop Thomas Wenski of Orlando has written at length
Archbishop John Nienstedt of Saint Paul/Minneapolis challenges Pelosi's statement
Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, President of the US Bishops, has weighed-in
Bishop Robert Vasa of Baker, OR publishes in the Catholic Sentinel
Bishop Jerome Listecki of La Crosse, WI responds in a word document
Bishop Joseph Gossman of Raleigh, N C responds to the misrepresentation
Bishop Richard Lennon of Cleveland, OH will comment in his September 5th column (PDF)
Bishop Ralph Nickless of Sioux City, IA has one of the very best responses I've read
Archbishop George Niederauer of San Francisco has invited Pelosi to a "conversation"

{Last updated on September 6th.}

I agree with Diogenes’ skepticism.