In an interview with Newsweek’s Eleanor Clift, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi criticized the Church for its position on abortion and gays rights and stated that her Bishop has “tried to change my mind”
Pelosi responds to questions about abortion in the health-care bill and her insistence that the original pre-Stupak bill did not fund abortion and says of the Bishops “they are not willing to accept facts.”
It was reported that you were negotiating with the conference of bishops.
I talked to one of the cardinals. I said to him that I believe that what we are doing honors the principles we talked about: we want to pass a health-care bill, we want it to be abortion neutral, and we want it to [have] no federal funding [for abortion], which is the law. And we believe that our language does that. They said, “We believe that it does not.” I said, let’s sit down at the table and our lawyers can compare language. That’s what the meeting was about—to make our case. Clearly, the people at that table were not willing to accept what we know to be a fact.
Pelosi goes on to criticize the Church for its position on abortion and gay marriage while still claiming to be a “practicing” Catholic
I think you have had some brushes with [church] hierarchy.
I have some concerns about the church’s position respecting a woman’s right to choose. I have some concerns about the church’s position on gay rights. I am a practicing Catholic, although they’re probably not too happy about that. But it is my faith. 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.
And finally admits that her Bishop has tried to change her mind on the subject, but she is not listening.
Is it difficult for you to reconcile your faith with the role you have in public life?
You know, I had five children in six years. The day I brought my fifth baby home, that week my daughter turned 6. So I appreciate and value all that they want to talk about in terms of family and the rest. When I speak to my archbishop in San Francisco and his role is to try to change my mind on the subject, well then he is exercising his pastoral duty to me as one of his flock. When they call me on the phone here to talk about, or come to see me about an issue, that’s a different story. Then they are advocates, and I am a public official, and I have a different responsibility.
What we know is that Nancy Pelosi continues to publicly represent herself as a faithful and practicing Catholic while continuing to to publicly oppose the Church on grave moral matters. We also know that her Bishop has apparently contacted her privately to try and change her mind, to which she has responded publicly by saying she will not be swayed. This is a text-book definition of scandal and should, at this point, be dealt with in a direct and public way lest no one else think that you can hold these positions and consider yourself a “practicing” Catholic.
ht to Newsbusters for the interview.
December 31, 2009 at 4:11 am
Nancy Pelosi is a sad case of why our government doesn't work and doesn't hear the people. Pelosi is adamant that she is right and everyone else is wrong. You can't be Catholic and support abortion and gay marriage, the two are incompatible. the only answer is to pray that she and her cohorts will be enlightened and see the error of their ways.
December 31, 2009 at 4:38 am
http://www.hawaiifreepress.com/main/ArticlesMain/tabid/56/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/1496/Pelosi-enjoys-privacy-at-Hualalai-after-Palin-is-hounded-off-Maui.aspx Did anyone see this?
December 31, 2009 at 4:55 am
Nancy, the Free Will, also includes your free will. If you profess to live by the Church's teachings, you cannot seperate your desires to follow Church teaching and those you represent. You are choosing to live by 2 masters. How conflicted you must be. You will never be able to reconcile these 2 masters. After all is said and done, YOU will be facing Christ all by youraelf!!! You will not have your constituents to use as a rationale before the Savior. Don't you see, your are trying to live for 2 masters. Free will is about each individual. Do you think Christ will take that into consideration that you are trying to be a law maker only based on what your constituents want?? Do you really think God cares what your attempts are if you oppoese His Will?? A mother of 5?? So what, I know women who are mothers of 10 or more…AND I Promise, none of them think the way you are trying to think…They look at the big picture…How does God see you, not how you think God sees you.. Nancy, Ipray and hope God will allow you to see the big picture…before you say anything, ask Jesus what he wants from you…Please, dear sister in Christ, go back to the basics of our faith, not what is popular now…Becky
December 31, 2009 at 11:25 am
Praise Almighty God in Heaven!!!For those who also generously responded with indignance to Nan's interview with Eleanor Clift about her "views". I"m particular about her critical "analysis" and flat out defiance of the Holy Catholic Church and her own local Bishop, as well as her unseemly and untimely view of abortion. To Eleanor Clift of all people! I thought she was dead already! and to "NEWSWEAK" of all periodicals. Where's the shame? Scandalous that Nan can hold up her self promoting, self centered, self absorbed, culture and media elitist "CENSURE" to not only the rest of us uneduated, ignorant, rosary praying, novena saying, pro-life crusading, social volunteering, poor feeding, alms giving, and devout following, Thomas A Kempis reading masses ,…but to Holy Church itself!!! Just where am I?, Dear Nan. I would not purpously live in a world made in your image and likeness!!!As a matter of fact I don't want anything that will keep me from Heaven!…come…to think of it…someone else said "I will not obey"!!!!!Dear Nan,…just a li"l bit of advice…try to find our beloved Jesus in everyone you see or don't see(unborn) and you won't be so sorely put out by your local Bishop and so tempted to sin!!!Conversion of heart and humility need not be so difficult or painful!…but in your case it may be…You may have to give up the Vineyard(is it worth 5 mil or 20 mil? just curious), the jetsetting around the country on the public dime, especially with that very expensive jet(with entourage), stop advocating for abortion and calling it empathy and compassion(FOR WHO?), by the way…of which you "will" have to make a very PUBLIC renuncition and for all those other fatalistic, "high falutten" progressive airs and ideals that you love to gorge yourself on…watch out for those deadly sins, they'll get ya every time…but most of all Dear Nan, you "will" have to give up your underworldly copilot. He just might be the hardest of all…He, and his, "do" have a tendency to hold out and hold on but,… don't despair…After the wreck you have made of your life…turn to Mercy and don't wait too long…Li'l advice Nan,… don't hold out for the Justice it"ll be quite a risk taking at your age!!!
December 31, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Nancy, free will means God has given us the right to choose to do good over evil. What is the worth of a decision of good if it is not your free will? That does not mean you can choose evil with no consequences. And make no mistake, abortion is EVIL!!!
December 31, 2009 at 12:18 pm
True Catholics would never think the way Nancy does. It boggles my mind that she is 3rd in line for the presidency! I doubt that is a blessing of God but a wake up call to all of us. What a mess we're ine . Our only hope is in God, the real one, not Nancy's.
December 31, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Nancy has a cupalbly erroneous conscience. She has been has been corrected by her priest and bishop and still persists in her defective thinking. There comes a point where one must admit that it is no longer conscience guiding them as it is outright defiance and placing their own wants and needs upon the throne where God belongs. She has, in reality, subverted Catholic truth and replaced it with her own guided by the master of lies. At this point, she has shown herself to be nothing more than a heretic openly rejecting the teachings of the Church and accepting mammon for her master.
It is sad to say, but it may be time to let this one be excommunicated from there church, as she continues to bring scandal to our ranks and blatantly defies Holy Mother Church, despite having the extreme privelegde of having been guided by many within its ranks. She proclaims a non-serviam quite clearly and without obedience to Christ and His Church, you cannot be considered a Catholic, despite her paradoxical claims.
December 31, 2009 at 7:11 pm
I am a Catholic and I think you all dumb, God gave us all free will. Use it!!
December 31, 2009 at 7:35 pm
Supereader, God gave us a free will so that we would freely choose God's will instead of our own. God made this clear to Cain when he banished him from the Garden of Paradise.
December 31, 2009 at 9:24 pm
Hey, Nancy,
Empty of Grace,
The Lord is disappointed with you.
Warped are you among women (and men),
And warped is your view of the Church, and God.
Oh, Nancy,
Satan’s helper,
Change your ways,
Now,
Or at least before the hour of your death.
Amen.