Pelosi received Communion at the Vatican, despite views on abortion

House speaker's archbishop in San Francisco has denied her Communion because of her support for abortion access
Pelosi
By Sophie Mann

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met with Pope Francis on Wednesday and received Communion during a papal Mass in St. Peter's Basilica.

The California Democrat received Communion despite her support of access to abortion. She was seated in a VIP diplomatic section of the basilica during the Mass that marked the feasts of St. Peter and St. Paul, according to the Associated Press.

Pelosi met with the pope before Mass and received a blessing. Francis has held on to the Catholic Church's opposition to abortion but has instructed new archbishops to welcome all into the church, including whose who don't follow its teachings.

At home in San Francisco, Pelosi's archbishop, Salvatore Cordileone, has said he will no loner allow her to receive Communion in his archdiocese due to her support of abortion rights. Cordileone has said she must either change her stance or stop speaking publicly about her Catholic faith.

She reportedly received Communion recently at a Catholic Church in Washington, D.C.

Communion is a service of Christian worship in which bread and wine are consecrated and shared. The Catholic Church believes the bread and wine in the consecration process become the body and blood of Christ.

Pelosi called last week's Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, which has for decades given women the constitutional right to abortion access, an "outrageous and heart-wrenching" decision that allows Republicans to accomplish their goal of "ripping away women’s right to make their own reproductive health decisions."

Following the Mass, Pelosi visited the Sant’Egidio Community, a Catholic charity close to the pope, where she met with refugees and awarded the charity with $25,000 in State Department funding. 

"We had the pleasure of attending Mass this morning with His Holiness and many many many leaders of the church," the speaker said at the event. "In the spirit of St. Francis, which is the name of His Holiness and my city of San Francisco, I thank you for preaching the Gospel, sometimes using words."