Tell SF ArchbishopGive Communion to Nancy Pelosi

Posted: May 23, 2022

In a political stunt that defies Pope Francis, San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone just banned House Speaker Nancy Pelosi from receiving Communion because of her support for abortion rights.

By weaponizing this holy sacrament, the archbishop is brazenly ignoring the pastoral guidance of the pope and of other Vatican leaders who have warned U.S. bishops not to play politics with the Eucharist.

To date, more than 50,000 Faithful America members have called on the U.S. Catholic bishops to stop weaponizing Communion. The bishops listened last fall when they backed off of an attempt to deny the sacrament to President Biden, so the facts are clear: Archbishop Cordileone has gone rogue.

The hypocrisy of Archbishop Cordileone's selective policing of Communion is astounding. Prominent Republican elected officials who are Catholic have repeatedly and publicly defied church teaching on issues like the death penalty without the threat of being denied the sacrament. The archbishop should drop the double standard, allow Speaker Pelosi to receive Communion, and stop politicizing the sacraments.

"I have never denied Communion to anyone," Pope Francis has said. Let's show Archbishop Cordileone that a movement of grassroots Catholics and other Christians are listening to the pope on this issue, and that we expect him to do so as well.

Sign the petition:

Dear Archbishop Cordileone,

We write as Catholics and other concerned Christians to express our sadness and outrage that you have barred House Speaker Nancy Pelosi from receiving Communion in the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

A holy sacrament should never be weaponized for political ends or to fight the culture wars. Your reckless action defies the pastoral guidance of Pope Francis and will only further divide our churches at a time of intense partisan polarization. At the Lord's table, we are not Democrats or Republicans. We are all sinners in need of God's healing and grace. As Pope Francis reminds us, the Eucharist is "not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak."

We are also concerned that your selective policing of the Eucharist on a single issue sends a troubling message that the church is taking political sides. Prominent Republican elected offficials who are Catholic have repeatedly and publicly defied church teaching on issues like the death penalty without the threat of being denied Communion. To be clear, we believe using a sacrament as a political cudgel is wrong, whether it's directed at Democrats or Republicans. But church leaders leave themselves open to charges of partisanship and hypocrisy when Communion bans are deployed in this way.

Please follow Pope Francis, who has said: "I have never denied Communion to anyone." We ask you to also heed the pastoral guidance of Cardinal Luis Ladaria of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, who warned in a letter to the U.S. bishops' conference last year that a policy of denying Catholic politicians Communion would further divide the church and send, in the cardinal’s word, a "misleading" message that abortion is the only urgent issue addressed by Catholic teaching.

We urge you to sincerely and prayerfully reconsider your action, and to allow Speaker Pelosi to receive Communion within the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

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