Pelosi's bishop says speaker 'epitome of hypocrisy' after her claims to be 'devout Catholic'

The prelate who oversees House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's home diocese is accusing her of hypocrisy for claiming to be a "devout Catholic" while announcing her support of publicly funded abortion. 

Pelosi this week claimed that repealing the Hyde Amendment – a longtime provision outlawing federal funding of abortion in most cases – is "the right thing to do."

Abortion supporters view a repeal of that federal measure as a key step to securing widespread federal funding of abortion procedures. 

At a press conference on Thursday, Pelosi referenced her faith in justifying her desire to have the federal government fund the abortion of unborn humans.

s"As a devout Catholic and mother of five in six years, I feel that God blessed my husband and me with our beautiful family, five children, and six years almost to the day," she said. "But it's not up to me to dictate that that's what other people should do. And it's an issue of fairness and justice for poor women in our country."

In a sharply worded statement following Pelosi's remarks, San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone stated that "no one can claim to be a devout Catholic and condone the killing of innocent human life, let alone have the government pay for it."  

"The right to life is a fundamental – the most fundamental – human right, and Catholics do not oppose fundamental human rights," Cordileone continued. "To use the smokescreen of abortion as an issue of health and fairness to poor women is the epitome of hypocrisy: what about the health of the baby being killed?  What about giving poor women real choice, so they are supported in choosing life?"  

Cordileone in the statement praised Catholics who he said were operating facilities such as "pro-life crisis pregnancy clinics."

"To them I say: 'You are the ones worthy to call yourselves devout Catholics!' " he said in the statement.

The Catholic Church in its Catechism strongly prohibits abortion, going so far as to level the penalty of excommunication on those who procure one.