There was a recent scuffle between the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi and her archbishop, Salvatore Cordileone, after he barred her from being communed at Catholic churches in her Californian diocese. Archbishop Cordileone had warned Speaker Pelosi for a number of years that as a prominent Catholic, she could not hold a pro-abortion position and expect to be received at the altar. 

We don’t have to subscribe to the Roman doctrine to see that the reactions to principled stances in our culture of self-serve religion reveal our underlying idolatry. The contempt for being told “No” shows that any rules, especially God’s rules that impinge upon my ability to do what I want, will not be tolerated. Actress Whoopi Goldberg felt herself eminently qualified to call out the Archbishop saying it was “not his job” to dictate who could be communed. 

Although Mrs. Pelosi seems to have found a priest happy to ignore Cordileone’s request, the uncompromising stand on the part of the archbishop no doubt gave some food for thought. 

Since the Supreme Court opinion was leaked a month ago, pro-abortion protestors have been disrupting masses, but those who want to identify as Catholic might find themselves unpleasantly surprised that their devotion to the sacrament of abortion is not going to fly. Colorado bishops have also warned pro-abortion lawmakers that they should not present themselves for communion. 

For his part, Archbishop Cordileone was overlooked for promotion by Pope Francis in an apparent snub. But we thank God for men like him who have the courage to stand for the lives of unborn, even under pressure from the powerful.