Terry Barber: Here in America, we have the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, who is a baptized Catholic. Archbishop Cordileone told her she cannot receive Holy Communion because she is promoting the killing of unborn babies, and not just promoting it, she is really promoting it. She thinks she can still be a good Catholic while promoting the killing of innocent life. The archbishop, thanks be to God, said no, that is not the case.
Many other bishops, like Bishop Joseph Strickland and others around the country, said she cannot receive in their dioceses either. But just this week, she received Holy Communion in Rome at a papal Mass and visited the Pope, and we as lay people think something is wrong. I hear people say they are stressed and upset over that, and I thought, do not be upset, make reparation. But I want to hear from you.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Thank you for your question, because I agree with you. First, when we witness such horrible acts in the sanctuary of the Church, we must make reparation as our first reaction to console our Lord, who is so greatly outraged in this Holy Sacrament by this objectively sacrilegious act, which this lady performed in the most holy place of Christianity, the Basilica of St Peter, in the presence of the Pope. He was present; he did not give her Holy Communion, thanks be to God, but he was present. For a person who publicly advocates and promotes the killing of unborn children, it is incredible. The first to be harmed is not us, even though we suffer because we love Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. We suffer because He is outraged by this blasphemy and sacrilegious act. This suffering arises from our love and belief in Him.
But the person who suffers most from this act is Mrs. Pelosi herself. She is the poorest soul in this horrible scenario of sacrilegious communion. We should have pity for her soul because she is consciously and stubbornly eating her judgment. Afterward, the Vatican released only a mild statement condemning the act. Those in the Vatican are culpable. They are responsible for damaging her soul, pushing her further from God, and bringing her closer to possible damnation by neglecting to act. The ultimate responsibility lies with the Church leaders in the Vatican, including the Pope, who does nothing while seeing her consciously and publicly commit this act, contributing to her spiritual condemnation. By permitting this de facto, silently and without correction, the Vatican and the Holy See are approving this act, which is very grave. We must make acts of reparation not only for Pelosi but also for those in the Vatican who allow this.