Perhaps it’s old hat. Maybe we’re dead to it now, inured from continued shock — chastened, numb.
In a recent interview that received surprisingly little attention even from Catholics, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., a Catholic, talked to Newsweek’s Eleanor Clift. Pelosi was asked about her “brushes with the [Catholic Church] hierarchy.”
Madam Speaker knew what that meant: abortion.
“I have some concerns about the Church’s position respecting a woman’s right to choose,” she shared, as if endeavoring to correct the Church’s errors — but not without a heavy heart: “I practically mourn this difference of opinion.”
This difference of opinion was most lamentable, added the lifelong Catholic — who attended Catholic private school, Catholic colleges (Trinity College in Washington, D.C.), and Mass in the San Francisco (St. Vincent de Paul Church) and Washington dioceses — for a couple of reasons. First, because she was “raised to believe … what I profess,” and, second, because, “we are all endowed with a free will.” Indeed, insisted Pelosi, “women should have that opportunity to exercise their free will.”
It is the second part of Pelosi’s “because” that concerns me here. It is consistent with what she has stated for years, including in previous interviews with Clift.
In a 2006 interview with Clift, Pelosi regretted that her family is “very pro-life” and would “like it if I were not so vocally pro-choice.” But, she proclaimed, “To me it isn’t even a question. God has given us a free will.”
Since then, Pelosi has had several colorful, high-profile brushes with the Church hierarchy, ranging from publicly expressed differences with no less than the Holy Father himself — articulated during Pope Benedict’s visit to America in April 2008 — to her parting of ways with no less than St. Augustine, which she elucidated for the entire nation in a jaw-dropping interview with Tom Brokaw on “Meet the Press” in August 2008. These “differences” landed her a remarkable private audience with the Pope at the Vatican last year, one that produced further divergent opinions — by Pelosi and by the Pope’s spokesman.
Yet the most fundamental split is between not the congresswoman and any Church official, but between the congresswoman and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and specifically on this matter of abortion and free will.
Worse, this split, hatched by an almost unbelievably flawed understanding of Church teaching, has, like a plague, spread among Pelosi’s colleagues, disproportionately infecting fellow Democrats, who appear uniquely susceptible.
This Pelosian line of reasoning — let’s call it the Pelosi Doctrine — has found a sudden surge and renewed virulence in the Northeast especially.
One recent manifestation was the contamination of yet another Kennedy: Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., son of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy — forcing Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin to administer emergency remedial education to this strayed member of the flock.
So, what of this? Does the Pelosi Doctrine have any basis in Catholic teaching?
Of course not. And it is vital to begin the process of inoculation.
The Catechism is unequivocal on abortion. In fact, “abortion” is literally the first word in the glossary of the Catechism — where it is deemed “gravely contrary to the moral law” and a “crime against human life.” Glossary aside, the core of the text, easily located via the index, addresses abortion at length (Nos. 2270-2274).
When Speaker Pelosi publicly misinterpreted this black-and-white explication, her Church swiftly corrected her by citing these sections of the Catechism. When she told Brokaw that she, as “an ardent, practicing Catholic,” who had “studied” the issue of “when life begins” for a “long time,” the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops simply pointed to the Catechism (No. 2271): “Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable.”
The Catechism couldn’t be more absolute on abortion. But most relevant to the issue here — the Pelosi Doctrine — is the Catechism’s teaching on free will and the morality of human acts (Nos. 1730-1756). As an “ardent” Catholic and “longtime” student of the faith, the congresswoman should take a few minutes to read these sections. As I understand she is extraordinarily busy as speaker of the House, I will highlight a few brief passages:
“There is no true freedom except in the service of what is good and just. The choice to disobey and do evil is an abuse of freedom and leads to ‘the slavery of sin’” (No. 1733).
“The exercise of freedom does not imply a right to say or do everything” (No. 1740).
Such fundamental teaching builds on a pyramid of sacred Scripture, Tradition and the magisterium. To employ one’s freedom as opportunities for wrong — for the flesh, for evil, for illicit things — is strictly prohibited (see Galatians 5:14).
The Church agrees (quoting St. Irenaeus) that man “is created with free will and is master over his acts” (No. 1730). It would be a fatal mistake, however, to thereby conclude — as the congresswoman does but the Catechism does not — that such freedom allows one to deliberately contravene God’s law and Church teaching. Freedom should never be used in willful service of advancing evil, especially something the Church has clearly declared an evil for centuries.
In fact, Pelosi needs to understand that her mistaken position places her in dangerous terrain. It is precisely because God has blessed her and her fellow humanity with freedom that she is thus “a moral subject” (Catechism, No. 1749) and thus attains a heightened personal responsibility. She will be held accountable for her free-will choices.
All of this leaves the Church with a familiar problem: the desperate need for bishops, priests, nuns, laity and, above all, catechists, to do their jobs and do them right. We should seize Pelosi’s incessant public error as a window of opportunity, as a chance to gently but forcefully explain the Church’s timeless, beautiful position in favor of life.
From the pulpit, to the office, to the kitchen table, to the classroom, let’s look to the Pelosi Doctrine as a teachable moment to shed the light of truth.
Paul Kengor is professor of political science at Grove City College. His books include The Judge: William P. Clark, Ronald Reagan’s Top Hand (Ignatius) and The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism (HarperPerennial).
Edward Pentin: Images of Rome's 2013 March for Life
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By using the words, “free will”, Speaker Pelosi is basically admitting that abortion is evil, and the justification of “free will” trumps it.
Using this line of reasoning is a very dangerous road to take - it basically screams, “moral relativism”.
why can’t she be ex-comminicated
Why would you waste that time on Nancy Pelosi? She is a power hungry megla maniac who subject any and all things to advancing that objective.
My simple question for Pelosi is “Can I, exercising my free will, set a fire to someone’s house and kill innocent humans, whether born or unborn?” Many Catholics erroneously believe that freedom means choosing whatever we like to do, but Pope John Paul clearly said that freedom means choosing what we ought to do.
In addition, Pelosi is rejecting the teaching of Pope and bishops in union with him, which means REJECTING Jesus. Jesus said to His apostles: “Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever REJECTS YOU REJECTS ME ……(Luke 10:16 emphasis added)
“Rejecting Teachings of Pope and Bishops in Union with Him is Rejecting Jesus.”
My simple question for Pelosi is “Can I, exercising my free will, set a fire to someone’s house or kill innocent humans, whether born or unborn?” Many Catholics erroneously believe that freedom means choosing whatever I like to do, but Pope John Paul clearly stated that freedom means choosing what we ought to do.
In addition, Pelosi is rejecting the teaching of Pope and bishops in union with him, which means REJECTING JEJUS. Jesus said to His apostles: “Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever REJECTS YOU REJECTS ME……(Luke 10:16, emphasis added)
In reply to those who might wonder about why even speak on Pelosi, I would posit that we all know a “Pelosi” in our own family or circle of friends. I found this piece clear and concise as what is wrong with the ‘we all have free will’ argument we find not in regards to abortion but with so many other sins.
I’ll be saving this one as a ‘cheat sheet’ when someone pulls the free will straw man out to try to support the latest sin that is now not sin (greed, lust, and sloth come to mind).
well said, Dr. Kengor.
GCC ‘02
And what about the free will of a murdered child? Doesn it not deserve to exercise its own free will?
Pelosi is a reformer. She needs to follow Martin Luther’s footstep. She needs to leave the Church like many other heretics in the past. The trouble is that she has so little courage to act lest her political career faces difficulty.
Sad you see.
Pseudo-“theology” to justify her position while pretending to be “Catholic.” The happy fact is that—today—Pat Kennedy has decided to quit Congress.
All this is true and maddening. But there is one word that undercuts the entire conversation: “contraception”. It is the elephant (or donkey) in the room. It causes fear and terror in the hearts of clergy but it is at the root of abortion. Only living, preaching and teaching repentance, conversion and the truth and obedience of faith in the person of Jesus will lead us out of the mire we are in. Pray for courage and love.
To the “genius” who thinks Pelosi should follow Martin Luther’s footsteps… where did those footsteps lead? Is Martin Luther in Heaven or Hell? Since Luther rejected Jesus’ own Church, put words in Jesus’ mouth that Jesus never said, threw out seven Books of the Bible inspired by the Holy Spirit, and condemning other Holy Spirit inspired books as “espistle of straw”, called Jesus’ earthly Prime Minister an “arse”... got millions of people to reject Christ by embracing a false “doctrines” of the Bible alone (sola scriptura) and salvation by faith alone (sola fides) when Christ’s teachings oppose both of these clearly, caused fractures in the body of believers despite Christ’s request that we all be one as He and the Father are One…. Where are you now Martin Luther? Your legacy has destroyed the unity of Christianity and made pride of your own way a “doctrine” instead of humility to follow those Christ sent, therefore following Christ. Where are you now Martin Luther? Yes, Christ’s mercy is sufficient. However, when you reject Christ as Martin Luther really did, and fooled millions of followers, where do you go Martin Luther. When you teach the lest to disobey Christ, as Martin Luther did… where do you go Martin Luther.
As for me, I’m sticking with Christ, and HIs Bride, the one, holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church… the one and only Church established and built by CHrist. This is Jesus’ one Church (note that Jesus didn’t say He was building churches, but one Church for unity) who authored NT Scriptures. Churches built by men use their interpretations of Jesus’ Church’s BOok, the Bible, yet don’t really know what it means and does not mean… because they were never promised the Holy Spirit to guide them. The Bible gives no authority to anyone. That authority was established in Jesus’ Church long before the Bible.
So, I’m not taking that kind of chance to follow Martin Luther where he went, whereever that really is. Peolosi is already on a trip where she may not really want to go, but like Martin Luther, she too thinks she knows more than God.
This is a great ‘cheat sheet’ when one gets involved in a discussion of abortion, choice and free will. But let’s not forget the supremacy of personal conscience that so many Catholics like to toss into the ring. After all isn’t that what the Church teaches? The delimiter of ‘a well formed conscience’ is rarely if every used and the questions of what is a well formed conscience and how does one attain to it are just as rare. Mix that in with poor faith formation and liberal clergy, religious and laity and you have a recipe for spiritual disaster. However, when it comes to excommunication, my thoughts have changed over the past 12 or so years.
As a revert, away for 35 years of which more than 20 were spent as one or another ilk of Protestant, I returned to the Church utterly orthodox and pastorally deficient. I wanted all the dissenters and heretics thrown out. My protestant husband still does not understand why the Pope does not excommunicate all these people. I think that I do.
As a Catholic, I do not believe in once save, always saved. I know I am on a journey toward sanctification; I have been justified by baptism but the goal is holiness. Most of us don’t get there do we? We are a Church of sinners, a hospital for sinners; not a hospital for the simply sinful but for the sadly sinful and profoundly sinful. If we throw these sick out, where will they ever get the medicine that they need? In the secular community? In the liberal protestant churches? There they are told they do not need to worry, they are not sick at all. No, we have to keep medicating them no matter how difficult, with the faith, the sacraments, with love and with TRUTH. They won’t get that anywhere else. And if Pelosi bemoans the fact that her family is so pro-life…good! They are a mirror into which she has to look and she doesn’t like what she sees. When and if she will be cured, no one but God knows. But what we do know if, there is no hope for that if we cut her and her ilk loose.
As for us, is she poisoning our Church? We keep telling the truth in love, we seek out new ways to educate our kids, our friends, neighbor and our clergy. We respect everyone but we let now title or office keep us silent. We are the cure and we will win, especially by starting our kids young and raising them up in the love and truth of God. That is where the future is, that is where we will win this battle. In the meantime, if even one sickened soul is saved by keeping them in our ‘hospital’, there should be rejoicing.
I very much doubt that Speaker Pelosi or any others of her ilk do not understand quite fully the positions they are deliberately taking. It’s know as stretching a desired reality to fit with one’s rationalizing.
Hummmmmmmmm. “Free will, reasoning?” I think perhaps “rationalizing”.
Pelosi convinced against her will is of the same opinion still. How sad that a woman of such intelligence, education, and potential to do much good, has followed in the steps of that heavenly angel who said, “I will not serve!”
As father john corapi would say, “TO CHOOSE WHAT?!” She can’t even finish the sentence.
Hi Chris,
While I agree with most of your post, I disagree with your thoughts on excommunication, particularly in this matter.
When the sin is intentionally made public by the sinner (ie the interviews Pelosi has given on this topic) it causes confusion to those not well educated in the faith. Therefore, the redress must be public. This shows those who would be confused by her “teachings,” that she is not in line with the Catholic church. If she goes on national TV, and with an authoritative air proclaims “the Catholic church has never said definativley when life begins,” (complete lie,) and then recieves communion the following Sunday, the casual catholic may believe that her message was approved. Excommunication is not meant to be permanent, but temporary. Using your hospital annalogy (very good, by the way!) excommunication could be likened to quarentine. Sometimes, patients who are infectious need to be quarantined away from the other patients to protect the spread of infection. Once the infection is under control, the patient can be with the other patients again. Quarentine is not meant to last a lifetime, and is to protect others.
To Michael Kocian:
I think you missed my point. Pelosi is a heretic and needs to leave the Church. She’s causing more harm inside the Church. She must leave the Church.
Smile.
Excommunication is a medicinal rather than a vindictive penalty, being intended, not so much to punish the culprit, as to correct her and bring her back to the path of righteousness.
You cannot take away a woman’s conscience. Even an erroneous conscience must be followed (per St. Alphonsus Ligouri). The “Pelosi doctrine” is “pro-conscience.” Just as CO’s (conscientious objectors) must be allowed to follow their conscience in refusing to serve in the military. The Catholic bishops, Catechism, etc. are not treating women as fully human persons. They have a conscience and must follow it (yes, a “formed” conscience—but even then, if they cannot agree with the official position, they MUST FOLLOW THEIR CONSCIENCE). Yes, abortion is wrong, but one must be allowed to follow one’s (even erroneous) conscience.
Zita Kelley, STL, STD.
Zita,
Following one’s conscience - like free will, is one of the greatest gifts that God has given us. Lots of people view conscience as deciding to perform an action that warrants the least guilt (or offering the easiest excuse).
Instead, following one’s conscience should be about deciding to do right or wrong and accepting the consequences. Following and practicing the catholic faith isn’t about what we want - it’s about what God wants. And that means sometimes doing things that are difficult, that are directly against what we want.
In regards to Speaker Pelosi, I’ll wager that she is fully aware that her views on abortion are in direct violation of God, the Church, natural law, etc. She instead is willing to cater to other parties. Why does she act this way? It could be simply politics and the vote. Or maybe she doesn’t believe in God. Or she simply doesn’t agree with pro-life itself. But that is her choice and she needs to accept the consequences of that choice. Does the Church threaten her with death? No. Will they take her money? No. The Church has no real material power over us. But those who follow the catholic faith have chosen to do so, on their own free will.
And yet, does this “following of the conscience” mean that we who disagree should give up the fight? No way. Catholics and others believe that there are absolute truths that are unchangeable by anyone, even if one thinks they’re’ wrong and doesn’t want to abide by it but instead wants to “follow their conscience”.. If we are to live by the “conscience alone” mantra, then this world would be worst off than it is now. Total freedom is no freedom at all.
If you use the “Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition” Nancy Polosi is a Schismatic Heretic. Why don’t we call her by her real name of “POLOSI the HERETIC” when we write or speak about her. (CCC 2089).
Why isn’t her Bishop enforcing Canon 915 (Code of Canon Law can be found on Vatican web site)?
Why isn’t her Bishop publically quoting Canon 1364 so that the public will know that she is excommuncated and not the “good Catholic” she publically states?
Why are a few Priest’s knowlingly participating in the Mortal Sins of SCANDAL and SACRILEGE when they give her Holy Communion?
And lastly, why haven’t all the other Bishops moved forward regarding her heretical behavior when the San Francisco Bishop refuses to do so (CCC 886)?
Nancy Polosi is not just taking on the US Bishops but the Pope himself.
ZITA, yes ‘HERETIC POLOSI’ (CCC 2089) can follow her wrongly formed conscience, but she should not call herself a ‘good Catholic’ or receive Holy Communion. She is LYING. Polosi is merely putting her politics before her religion. She knows exactly what the Catholic Church teaches and that God’s 5th Commandment is “Thou shall not kill”. She is doing much damage by her Scandal regarding those who did not have the good Catholic education that she had.
Regarding any possibility or pleading of ignorance on “HERETIC POLOSI’s” behalf - CCC: ” 1791 This ignorance can often be imputed to personal responsibility. This is the case when a man takes little trouble to find out what is true and good, or when conscience is by degrees almost blinded through the habit of committing sin. In such cases, the person is culpable for the evil he commits.”
‘HERETIC POLOSI’s’ words are trying to get others to sin with her.
The devil loves company.
“Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” Brothers, and sisters, let the bishops do their jobs. And, we, the laity, must raise up righteous children, witness to our faith, and pray for those in authority over us. We do have the ability to help form the future legislators in this country. Let us not wait until they take power. Let us support Catholic Radio. Let us support good Catholic education. Let us support our Catholic bookstores, our Catholic newspapers and other media. Perhaps if Pelosi had had a well-informed conscience through media, through church, through family, through friends, things would be different. Yet, I can pick up my rosary and entrust her to the Blessed Virgin Mary who can transform her through the power of the spirit of God. Let us realize that although politicians like Pelosi can do much damage, the worst outcome would be the loss of her soul. God does not will that even one soul should perish. And yet, the people perish for lack of knowledge. Come, Holy Spirit, renew, revive this land and its people.
The worst is not the loss of only HERETIC POLOSI"S Soul, but the loss of other Souls as well do to her lies and actions. This is called the MORTAL SIN of SCANDAL. Her strong support of Obama and his culture of death, and his attempts at denying freedom of religion are an abomination for any Catholic or Christian or person of good will.
(For info on the mortal sin of SCANDAL see the CCC.)
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