San Francisco archbishop: Prominent pro-choice Catholics should be denied communion
San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone argues any Catholic who supports abortion is 'absolutely not' in good standing with the church and should not receive Holy Communion.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's hometown Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone joined "Fox & Friends" Tuesday to discuss a letter he wrote gaining national attention for suggesting prominent Catholics who support abortion should not receive Holy Communion.
SAN FRANCISCO ARCHBISHOP SUGGESTS PELOSI, BIDEN SHOULD BE DENIED COMMUNION
STEVE DOOCY: Can you be a devout practicing Catholic and support abortion?
ARCHBISHOP SALVATORE CORDILEONE: Absolutely not, absolutely not, and...another reason I had to write this letter is to help people understand what this issue is about. This is not one policy issue among several. This is the most fundamental right. It's the right to life. We're talking about killing innocent human beings. So this is a very serious matter. Anyone who cooperates in that is involving themselves in a very serious sin, and absolutely not. That's not possible.
...
DOOCY: Archbishop, does that mean you would refuse to give communion to somebody like Nancy Pelosi, who's out in San Francisco, if she came into your church?
CORDILEONE: As I mentioned, these conversations have to take place before a move like that would have to happen. I believe in the case of Speaker Pelosi, she understands my abiding by church teaching, and I don't think I would envision that situation actually happening. But it's more a matter of avoiding the scandal that can be caused when prominent Catholics in whatever walk of life are advocating something that's denial of a basic human right, and claiming to be a good Catholic in good conscience. I need to be very clear in the teaching: Catholics do not deny fundamental human rights and remain in good standing in the church.
Fox News First
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.