Denver, Colo., Jan 23, 2023 / 16:45 pm (CNA).
After someone broke into her house and violently attacked her husband, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sought the services of a priest to perform an “exorcism” of the couple’s San Francisco home, her daughter told the New York Times.
“I think that weighed really heavy on her soul. I think she felt really guilty. I think that really broke her,” Pelosi’s daughter Alexandra Pelosi told opinion columnist Maureen Dowd. “Over Thanksgiving, she had priests coming, trying to have an exorcism of the house and having prayer services.”
Pelosi’s office did not respond to CNA’s request for comment by publication. According to the exorcist for the Archdiocese of Washington, any priest can “expel demons” from a house.
“A priest can only conduct a solemn exorcism of a person with the direct permission of his bishop,” Msgr. Stephen Rossetti, who is also a research associate professor at the Catholic University of America, told CNA Jan. 23.
“However, to expel demons from a place does not require any special faculties for a priest. As with any ministry of a priest, discretion and protecting the confidentiality of his people involved is expected and important,” Rossetti said.
The alleged assailant, David DePape, has pleaded not guilty to multiple state and federal charges, including assault and attempted murder. According to friends and neighbors, he had become enmeshed in internet conspiracy theories and political extremism, CNN reported. In October 2022 he reportedly entered the Pelosi home in search of then Speaker Pelosi in a plan to kidnap her but attacked her husband, Paul Pelosi, instead, causing a fractured skull and severe injuries to his arm and hands.
Pelosi told the New York Times she could not imagine seeing her home become “a crime scene.”
“This has been tough. It’s going to be about three or four more months before he’s really back to normal,” she said.
The Archdiocese of San Francisco, in which the Pelosis reside, said it was “unaware” of the exorcism.
“We would respect the privacy of families with regard to exorcisms and house blessings,” Peter Marlow, executive director for communications and media, told CNA Monday.
“Exorcisms and house blessings are not activities we would promote to the media,” he said. “If a parishioner is interested in a house blessing, they should contact a priest at their parish.
Marlow referred CNA to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ discussion of exorcisms on its website. While “major exorcisms” are conducted on a person by a bishop or priest with the special permission of the local ordinary, “minor exorcisms” are used in the rite of baptism or in a series of prayers that may be used by the faithful, including “any demonic influence on places and things in particular.”
Rossetti told CNA that the exorcism of a place is “specifically used when there is a demonic infestation.”
“This typically happens when evil actions have been done in a place,” he said. “Some of the behaviors that we have found to result in a demonic infestation are homicides, drug dealing, abortions, sex trafficking, child abuse, and occult practices such as Satanism or witchcraft.”
Father Vincent Lampert, exorcist for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, described to the New York Post a possible exorcism rite.
“It would be the recitation of a particular prayer, inviting the presence of God back into the house, casting out any presence of evil that may be there,” he said. “Then the house would be blessed with holy water, reminding us of our new life in Christ and the fact that we need not fear any evil, because recognizing that Christ is dwelling with us.”
Lampert said he gets “thousands” of requests for such prayers each year.
In the wake of the attack on Pelosi’s husband, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco asked for people to join him in prayer “for the swift recovery of Paul Pelosi and comfort for his wife and family, too.”
Earlier last year, Cordileone publicly rebuked Rep. Pelosi because of her staunch support for abortion, warning that it causes scandal and endangers her soul.
“I asked her to repudiate this position or else refrain from referring to her Catholic faith in public and receiving holy Communion,” Cordileone said in May 2022, reporting that he had repeatedly sought to reach out but had received no response.
Pelosi reiterated abortion support as recently as Jan. 22, the anniversary of the now-defunct Roe v. Wade pro-abortion Supreme Court decision.
“We must keep fighting to enshrine Roe into law,” she said on Twitter.
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A requested Catholic exorcism for a violent crime committed in a home, then legislative fighting to “enshrine” multiple crimes committed in wombs. As in late-term abortions being “sacred ground” (Pelosi June 2013). https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/27444/catholic-groups-slam-pelosis-claim-that-abortion-is-sacred-ground
News flash: These are demonic times in which we live.
I saw the same news item on the National Catholic Register site and commented that the White House should be the next stop for an exorcism. Or words to that effect.
I know we can all wear blinders for selective moral-issues but our Catholic politicians really excel at that.
Good grief.
We can be pretty sure that no official or proper exorcism took place. If it had, Nancy Pelosi would have disappeared.
So now if Speaker Pelosi disappears in a puff of smoke, we’ll know what happened.
(Be careful what you wish for, Nance.)
This is one confused woman.
I agree she should take this action. Any house where demonic activity may have taken place needs to be at least Blessed. Hopefully, she will go further.
We may differ on politics and some other matters, however we pray for their physical and spiritual wellbeing!
Well, a layperson uses a term that might well be applied, somewhat in ignorance, for a church that has been desecrated by violence.
I think the Christian and Catholic response is to take note of it, just in case we need it someday for, heaven forbid, ourselves or a friend. And then we move on without catty comment.
Some of the comments above seem to fall into the category of “needlessly combative or inflammatory.”
The Republican response is to make fun of it, and add political commentary.
Yes, and the progressive response is to self-righteously virtue signal. Temove the log from your own eye…
No, I think some people just don’t like being poked about their unhelpful attitudes.
No, I think some progressives just don’t like being called out on their agendas and hypocrisy. You’re starting to sound a lot like another poster here who keeps getting called out about Cardinal Pell.
I don’t mind correction, especially from friends who know me, and from my loved ones. But you, sir, were the first to whine about being called out by someone you seem not to consider to be an aspirant to virtue. My criticism of the “camp” remains.
Mr. Todd, you don’t think an exorcism or at least a serious house blessing would improve the spiritual climate at a number of Catholic politicians abodes?
I really do think they should start at the White House & work their way down.
🙂
I don’t know that an exorcism is required when a church has been desecrated by violence. Isn’t it a reconsecration? A friend of ours, God bless her, was murdered just outside her parish church. I remember hearing that if she’d been attacked inside the church, they’d have to reconsecrate it.
Since we are all sinners, it would seem many millions of house blessings are in order, perhaps first at the domiciles of those suggesting it for others.
“Exorcism” was the term cited by Mrs Pelosi’s daughter. Let’s not get all excited about what was most likely a home blessing.
I agree we should all take advantage of home blessings.
An enabler always tries in vain to polish a pile of dung.
There is nothing in the Pelosi’s lives right now that can’t be fixed with honest confession, deep repentance, and practical restitution to those multitudes who have been harmed by their insatiable lust for power. A darkness that profound can only be broken by the Holy Spirit’s work and power, assuming that God has not given them irretrievably over to sin and judgment according to Romans 1.
That is certainly true of all of us commenting.
It’s true that we all are in need of repentance & Confession but the number of those harmed by our actions can vary greatly as can the extent of scandal caused.
Those in authority are held to a higher level of accountability & I think that applies even more so to their shepherds.