Pope Francis speaks to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Paul Pelosi after Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on June 29, 2022. / Vatican Media
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 10, 2024 / 15:15 pm (CNA).
Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi criticized Pope Francis for the Vatican’s deal with China regarding bishop appointments during an interview with the National Catholic Reporter published on Tuesday, Dec. 10.
The congresswoman from California and former speaker of the House of Representatives told the outlet that she is “not too happy” about the Vatican-China agreement, saying: “I don’t know what they have achieved” and adding: “Do you know of any success?”
“We have, for decades, seen the suffering of Catholics in China,” Pelosi, who is Catholic, told the Reporter. “I have a completely different view [from Francis]. … Why should the Chinese government be having a say in the appointment of bishops? I’ve talked to some folks here and they’re, ‘Well, we have to keep up with the times.’ What?! I don’t get that.”
In January 2018, Pope Francis and Chinese officials entered into a deal that gives the Chinese Communist Party input on bishop appointments. Most of the details of the deal and how it functions have not been made public, but the pontiff revealed in September 2023 that the agreement created a joint China-Vatican commission on the appointment of bishops.
The agreement has been renewed three times, most recently in October. The most recent renewal extends the deal into October 2028. Despite the appearance of friendlier relations on the surface, a report published in October by the Hudson Institute found that the “religious repression of the Catholic Church in China has intensified” since the deal went into effect. In November 2022, the Vatican accused China of violating the terms of the deal.
In her interview with the Reporter, Pelosi referenced the Gospel of Matthew in her critique of the Vatican-China agreement.
“Let me say it this way: ‘Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church,’” Pelosi said. “Every bishop has sprung from that rock. And now, the Chinese government?”
The congresswoman said she had spoken to the papal nuncio about “what our concerns were,” and commented that those concerns were bipartisan: “This brings a lot of us together because, over time, even bishops were being killed. I mean, this is like martyrs.”
Pelosi also showed solidarity with Cardinal Joseph Zen, the bishop emeritus of Hong Kong and staunch critic of the Chinese Communist Party and Vatican-China deal. In 2022, Hong Kong police arrested the cardinal for his role in assisting pro-democracy protesters for their legal fees, but he was later released on bail.
“With all the respect in the world for His Holiness, Pope Francis, my point of view is closer to the cardinal of Hong Kong, Joseph Zen,” Pelosi told the Reporter.
In 2020, Zen told CNA that he had not seen any positive changes for the Church following the deal with China.
“Is there any choice between helping the government to destroy the Church or resisting the government to keep our faith?” Zen said.
According to a report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom in October, China has continued its persecution of Catholics and other religious faiths through its policy of the “sinicization of religion,” which means to make the religion conform to Chinese culture.
The report noted that, in practice, the policy essentially subordinates faiths to “the [Chinese Communist Party’s] political agenda and Marxist vision for religion.” This includes censorship of religious texts, forcing clergy to preach the party’s ideology, and requiring the display of Chinese Communist Party slogans in the churches.
In her interview with the Reporter, Pelosi also spoke about a wide variety of other issues, which included the decline of Catholic support for the Democratic Party in the 2024 elections and her feuds with Catholic bishops over her adamant support of abortion.
Although her bishop, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, prohibited her from receiving Communion within the archdiocese because of her support for abortion, Pelosi told the Reporter that she “received Communion anyway” and said: “That’s his problem; not mine.”
“My Catholic faith is: Christ is my savior,” Pelosi said. “It has nothing to do with the bishops.”
Pelosi won her reelection by a more than 60-point margin in the heavily Democratic 11th Congressional District in California. The congresswoman, who turns 85 in March 2025, resigned from her leadership position within the Democratic Party in 2016 and was replaced by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who currently serves as the House minority leader.
[…]
As William F. Buckley once apologized to Gore Vidal, in a National Review article, Gore’s homosexual activity was quite okay, but it was not okay for Buckley to simply use the word; “bottoms up,” he ended.
Biden might not be certifiably stupid, but he is an evil puppet by now redefining Title IX to include gender identity. Also, at least sorta stupid, given the science–and evidence of underlying problems–which cannot be suppressed forever.
https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/executive-summary-sexuality-and-gender
“[….] Compared to the general population, adults who have undergone sex-reassignment surgery continue to have a higher risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes. One study found that, compared to controls, sex-reassigned individuals were about 5 times more likely to attempt suicide and about 19 times more likely to die by suicide [….]”
Mr. Beaulieu;
I was not familiar with the particulars of Mr. Buckley’s apology to Mr. Vidal, so your quoting it – particularly the phrase ‘bottoms up’ gave me a much-needed laugh, for which I thank you.
Were Bishop Gruss my Bishop I would be proud of him and I would tell him so. He had to know in advance that what he said would get him in trouble.
1) He said it
2) He got in trouble
3) He made the proper apology
ergo
4) Mission accomplished
Never apologize for speaking the truth, your Excellency.
Maybe he should have referred to Biden as a moral imbecile. Still harsh, but true nonetheless.
I have said a lot worse about Biden and I don’t apologize for it. Whether his senility has rendered him stupid is an interesting question. He certainly was smart (and unscrupulous) enough to eventually occupy the most powerful political position in the world, even though he is not calling the shots.
Bishops Gruss should have ignored whatever backlash he may gotten from his offhand remark. It was a nonstory that didn’t deserve a reply. Of course, he did just the opposite, offering an apology and even saying that he doesn’t harbor any anger towards this Catholic president who has relentlessly and consistently implemented extreme anti-Christian policies. Apparently, His Excellency does not think there is such a thing as righteous anger. It was a pathetic performance, so typical of what we get from the hierarchy of the Church. We would be much better off if they didn’t say anything.
I think the word, “unwise” would have been more accurate and more acceptable to Pres. Biden and his supporters. Also, the adjective should have been connected with Pres. Biden’s words, not with him personally.
Perhaps you are not aware that at this time in history, children are not permitted to use the word “stupid” in most school, sports, or childcare settings. It antagonizes others and can lead to a counterattack, which for children, often means hitting, slapping, etc. Among older children, insults like this can lead to even worse and more violent retaliation.
If children can’t use the word, adults should set the example and not use the word. There are many words in the English language that can communicate a message without insulting the person.
It’s intuitively obvious to the most casual observer that Bishop Gruss’s choice of this adjective in describing Joseph Robinette Biden Jr is entirely accurate regardless of the offense that the thin skinned cabal may take to it.
stupid stu·pid adjective
a: slow of mind : obtuse
b: given to unintelligent decisions or acts : acting in an unintelligent or careless manner
c: lacking intelligence or reason
thank you
Well Mrs. Sharon, you are correct that we shouldn’t insult others. Especially as Christians.
But I think stupid is a perfectly good word and I hate to see the thought police clamp down on the English language.
Really dreadful obscenities are a routine part of our entertainment industry these days but we get more upset over old fashioned words like stupid. And I’m not picking on you Mrs. Sharon. I just mean our current culture.
Well Sharon, mark me down for “couldn’t care less” what the kiddies are allowed to do. I am not interested in having my use of language confined to what is appropriate for slap-happy toddlers, just because some woke administrator says so. I am not interested in the leftist playbook of suppressing acceptable speech, or distorting it with made up words, but I am sadly aware of efforts in that direction by our “educational” institutions. “Stupid” is a perfectly good English word, which means showing a lack of intelligence or common sense. There are a great many stupid politicians to whom the word applies.Joe Biden is one of them. His mental acuity has deteriorated to an obvious and considerable degree, and his fantasy stories of uncles eaten by cannibals ( along with MANY other proven lies and exaggerations) does not help his intellectual profile.
As for kids hitting each other, I am aware that some schools are so extreme as to prohibit children striking a blow to DEFEND themselves. Here is what I always told my sons: Never let me discover you were the first to hit someone. But if they hit you first, hit them back hard enough to make certain they will not attempt to hit you again. Pacifist is another word for willing victim.
I needed a good laugh this morning. Thank you!