Say Anything Blog

Nancy Pelosi has rightfully taken a beating on her stupid remarks about when life begins. Seems the Catholic church is less than impressed with her theory on when life begins. 

Pelosi’s nationally aired abortion comments “disgraceful’, “incompetent”, “incredible” USCCB corrects House Speaker’s views as “misleading” and outdated
By Rick DelVecchio
Catholic and conservative commentators reacted with outrage and disbelief to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s nationally televised comments that Church teaching is undecided on when life begins and that the question “shouldn’t have an impact on a woman’s right to choose.”

Bill Donahue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, said he has had long experience with Catholic politicians disagreeing with Church teaching on abortion but never before with what he called “absolute misrepresentation.”

“I have to tell you in 15 years of doing this job this one goes off the end,” he told Catholic San Francisco.

Pelosi should correct the record, he said.

“I don’t know what the woman’s motive is,” he said. “Let’s just assume it’s stupidity. I’d still oblige her to hold a press conference saying she misrepresented the teachings of the Catholic Church.”

The Archdiocese of San Francisco received hundreds of e - mails from around the country, many urging that the Church correct Pelosi. A “horrified” Bill Kelly of Carolina Shores, N.C., wrote: “Since she spoke as a Catholic will there be any action taken by the Archdiocese to refute her?”

Archbishop George Niederauer will address recent comments by Pelosi in a column in the Sept. 5 issue of Catholic San Francisco, archdiocesan spokesman Maurice Healy said.

In an official response, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a joint statement by the heads of the USCCB Pro - Life and Doctrine Committees calling Pelosi’s comments “misleading” and based on mistaken theories of fetal development that modern embryology made obsolete 150 years ago.

“The Church has always taught that human life deserves respect from its very beginning and
that procured abortion is a grave moral evil,”
the USCCB said in a statement signed by Cardinal Justin Rigali, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee for Pro - Life Activities, and Bishop William E. Lori, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Doctrine.

Individually, one U.S. cardinal and two other archbishops publicly corrected Pelosi.
(Read the whole article)