Pelosi to Politicize the Eucharist

by John Hawkins | December 29, 2006 6:21 am

Incoming Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi wants you to know she is a Catholic. She’s going to receive Communion[1] in a very public display of her Catholicism on January 3rd during her swearing in week. It is inappropriate that she do so. And it is inappropriate under Canon 915[2] that it be given to her.

Deal Hudson has been hammering away[3] at this issue since before Christmas on his blog, which I contribute to. Hudson asks pointedly: “Speaker Pelosi is providing the perfect occasion to discuss the following: Should a pro-abortion Catholic politician go unchallenged if she (or he) uses the Mass as the occasion for a public, obviously political, event?”

And he has many other questions that need answering[4]:

It may be that after the 2004 campaign most bishops have decided to give the issue a rest. If so, their acquiescence will only allow the Democrats to continue their charm offensive toward religious voters, especially Catholics.

It will be interesting to see how the media covers the return to Trinity University and the Mass–will they actually let the cameras inside to follow Pelosi down the aisle toward the altar?

Will Fr. Andrew Greeley be called upon to opine on the significance of this pro-abortion Catholic taking over the leadership of the House of Representatives? Will we hear ad nauseum that this ceremony marks the end of single issue politics, that Catholics are realizing once again that health care, education, war, and poverty are moral issues as well?

Is this the belated victory of the “seamless garment”?

Finally, who from Catholic officialdom will join her in the walk down the aisle? How many bureaucrats from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, how many presidents of Catholic colleges, how many bishops (surely Archbishop Wuerl would not attend) will join in the “celebration” of her Catholic faith?

Deal has much more on the subject on his blog[5], which he bills as “Theocon Commentary on Catholic Issues Spiritual, Theological, Cultural and Political.”

Patrick Hynes runs Ankle Biting Pundits[6] and is the author of In Defense of the Religious Right[7], which would make a great belated Christmas gift.

Endnotes:
  1. receive Communion: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/21/AR2006122101865.html
  2. Canon 915: http://www.catholic.org/featured/headline.php?ID=691
  3. hammering away: http://dealwhudson.typepad.com/deal_w_hudson/2006/12/politicizing_th.html
  4. many other questions that need answering: http://dealwhudson.typepad.com/deal_w_hudson/2006/12/pelosis_communi.html
  5. his blog: http://dealwhudson.typepad.com/deal_w_hudson/
  6. Ankle Biting Pundits: http://www.anklebitingpundits.com/
  7. In Defense of the Religious Right: http://www.amazon.com/Defense-Religious-Right-Conservative-Christians/dp/1595550518

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