SF Examiner editorial board demands Pope remove archbishop who barred Pelosi from communion over abortion
The paper called for Pope Francis to remove the ‘radical’ Cordileone from leadership
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The San Francisco Examiner's editorial board wrote a scathing rebuke of the city’s archbishop, Salvatore Cordileone, after he announced he would deny Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Holy Communion, over her staunch support for abortion.
Cordileone wrote to Pelosi on Friday, warning her that she cannot receive Communion while vowing to codify Roe v. Wade.
"You are not to present yourself for Holy Communion and, should you do so, you are not to be admitted to Holy Communion," he wrote.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}SAN FRANCISCO ARCHBISHOP BARS PELOSI FROM RECEIVING HOLY COMMUNION DUE TO ABORTION SUPPORT
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone said Nancy Pelosi would be barred from Holy Communion, over her abortion stance. (Reuters/Getty Images)
In response, the liberal editorial board blasted the Catholic leader for "punishing" Pelosi, instead of "right-wing politicians" who "[vote] against health care or funding for the poor."
They defended Pelosi as a leader who has "consistently fought on the morally right side of these issues," and praised her as a role model for women.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The editorial board argued that by denying Pelosi Holy Communion, the archbishop wasn’t being loyal to Christ.
Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone (AP/Getty Images)
"Cordileone’s chief loyalty is not to Christ, but to the cabal of far-right American bishops led by Raymond Leo Burke, a Catholic prelate who has led a continual campaign to undermine Pope Francis’ authority," they wrote, before demanding the Pope remove the "radical conservative" from San Francisco.
"We repeat the call for Pope Francis to remove him and replace him with a leader who can unify rather than divide. Cordileone’s radical conservative politics might attract more people to the faith in places like Oklahoma or Texas, but his partisan pomposity will win no converts in San Francisco," the editorial board complained.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Examiner ended their editorial by praising Pelosi's Catholicism, compared to the archbishop's.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi meets with reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Aug. 25, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
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"It is Nancy Pelosi, not Archbishop Cordileone, who reflects the true spirit of Christian care in the City of St. Francis," the board wrote.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In 2021, Cordileone signaled he opposed President Biden receiving communion for his pro-choice stance.
"If you find that you are unwilling or unable to abandon your advocacy for abortion, you should not come forward to receive Holy Communion," the archbishop wrote in a pastoral letter that did not specify Biden or Pelosi by name.