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.
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She’s an abortion-loving fallen-away Catholic who needs a radical conversion. Until then, she’d be wise to keep her criticisms to herself.
At least Pelosi got the China situation right, though I do find that somewhat surprising. I guess we need to be thankful for small wonders.
ANDREW: The only wonder I’d be thankful for regarding Pelosi is a public confession of her sin against the millions of unborn babies whose murder she gave support to.
“Let me say it this way: ‘Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church,’” Pelosi said. And then, ““My Catholic faith is: Christ is my savior. It has nothing to do with the bishops.”
This is the dragon lady who, after 2,000 years of Christianity, said that without first reading the 2,000-page Obamacare bill (2010) Congress had to pass it, because only then could they actually read it to find out what it contained.
Also, the very same Aztec mouthpiece who defended late-term abortions thusly: ““As a practicing and respectful Catholic, this is sacred ground…” (June 26, 2013).
But, she’s right about the Vatican’s provisional agreement with China. Even a broken watch is right twice a day.
I think I would take offense at that if I were an Aztec. They aren’t the only ethnicity to practice human sacrifice, and they do have their share of Saints, too — St. Juan Diego, for instance. But the main thing is that their worst sins were BEFORE they heard the Gospel, not after.
Which only serves to illustrate the iniquity of the China deal where even a moral lunatic can recognize it. But Francis proclaims it takes a thousand years to understand China, so maybe in another 900 years he’ll begin to come to his senses.
One could say that even Satan is “right” when he ab-uses portions of God’s Word to deceive us humans, but that does not make Satan “right” at all (and is why Jesus forbids demons to bear witness to Him when He casts them out). It is only because of the inherent truth and right-ness of the Word which Satan ab-uses, just it is with his own original nature from God creating him. Our Thrice-Holy God made no mistake in any of His creation, and so God’s original creating of Lucifer as top archangel at the start of creation was right, and the unfaithful-one only became evil by his own self-deceiving self-perverting. This is why Jesus calls him the “father of lies” (because he first lied to himself about God’s Own all-graciousness and will for all creation; so Lucifer coiled in on himself and twisted himself into “Satan” which translates as “Slanderer;” who first slandered God, and then God’s Image and Likeness in us, so he is “Accuser of the brethren”-Rev. 12:9-10). This is what condemns him all the more, and the same then goes for any of us humans when we behave like Satan and use truthful words only to make ourselves look good to gain trust from others only so that we can deceive and manipulate them for our own selfish ends, like Satan does. Pelosi is brazenly showing herself to be on such a path, and so we must pray for God’s humbling of her soul for her own salvation sake, just as we must pray for ourselves to be preserved from the same path each day. Incidentally, this is the mystery of the number of Anti-Christ in sacred numerology. 666 is “the number of man” -Rev 13:18- the number of our human nature self-contentedly coiled in on itself; exalting itself as if able to stand on our own dust and nothing symbolized by the “day” number of our created-ness (6) self-contentedly cut off from our Creator (which is why the 6 is tripled in a mockery of our Maker WHO Alone IS Self-Existing, Triune Divinity in Eternally Loving, Self-outpouring Community of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, blessed and glorified forever! Amen!). St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in this, our battle!
I guess we can add Nancy Pelosi to blind squirrels and broken clocks.
Twisted sister…and twisted Pontiff.
Would Pelosi care to name the priests who were involved in her defiance of the Archbishop? If not, should that tell her something?
There is a typo in the article. Pelosi was Speaker until 2022.
The heretic Pelosi has decreed: If anyone saith that the Pope is infallible as a politician, let him be anathema. 🤦🏼♂️
Ms Pelosi’s description of her Catholic faith sounds more Protestant than Catholic. Kudos though for her attitude to the Vatican’s attitude to China.
That’s unfair to many Protestants.
“Ms Pelosi’s description of her Catholic faith sounds more Protestant than Catholic.”
Not even remotely. Pelosi would be no more welcome in an evangelical church than Satan himself.
Taking Congresswoman Pelosi’s comments with charity, I’m befuddled that she can approach Catholic authority with such sincere duplicity. How she can, in the same interview, both assert the authority of the Bishop of Rome with respect to the Vatican-China deal, to which I nod in agreement, and simultaneously flout the authority of her own bishop with respect to the reception of the Eucharist is a feat of logical gymnastics that I would have imagined to be unthinkable. May God bless her with greater lucidity.
Sometimes lucidity diminishes with advanced age. That’s a charitable view.
🙂
Nancy Pelosi comes from a lineage of devout Catholics. This should remind us all of the necessity to remain vigilant against the deceptions of the Evil One. As Matthew 24:24 warns us, even the elect may be deceived in the last days. It is imperative that we, as individuals, remain steadfastly united to and with Jesus Christ and the truths of His gospel.
We should pray fervently for those who have been led astray or have embraced heresy. It is crucial to minimize the attention given to such individuals and instead, focus on those who exemplify a life of virtue and faith. These are the ones who can inspire us and provide a worthy example for our children and grandchildren.
Her time is passed, and she obviously is in need of our prayers.
I think Matthew 12:43-45 fits better.
I think she is a “Spirit of VII Catholic”. Her time has passed, along with that “spirit”.
That spirit was around long before Vatican II, and it will remain active — with more success or less success — until the Last Judgement. I mean, just look around: Gnosticism and Arianism are still with us.
Cleo: I wish that were true. There are a sprinkling of Catholics who now know that dissenting from Humanae Vitae was a mistake. But the fact remains that the vast majority of Catholics rejected it and continue to do so. And it is debatable of whether a majority of Catholics hold any more opposition to abortion than Pelosi.
Well, up to now, the Pope has met all Nancy’s prerequisites for being her man in Rome. Now she pulls rank on him and let’s him know who, in her mind at least, is the real boss (clue: the real boss doesn’t dress in white). Perhaps Francis should take to heart the adage about lying with dogs gets one fleas. These two are actually perfect matches. She’s the absolute worst Speaker in US history and he’s the absolute worst pope in Catholic history.
I agree with those who say the Archbishop has to have a chat with the Bishops and priests who report to him. And not in a friendly way. If these priests pledge obedience when ordained, they are off the mark by a long-shot by helping Pelosi obtain Communion, and need to be spoken to. And then meaningful action needs to take place if they continue to shrug off the position Pelosi has put herself in regarding her outspoken support of no-holds-barred abortion. Failing to do this makes any church pronouncement on morals or anything else meaningless. An action, especially a sinful action, needs to have a consequence. The Eucharist is not a party favor and Pelosi is NOT entitled to it no matter her state of soul. It DOES matter. That goes for ALL of us, not just Pelosi. But she doesnt get to be exempt from holding to church standards just because she is a widely known politician.Further, in being OPENLY defiant of the Archbishop, she is further undermining the authority of the church.
This silly and very naive woman still believes that all is well between her and God, REALLY!!!!! This is what the sin against the Holy Ghost looks like!!! Repent!!
Not to judge Nancy Pelosi, I’ll refrain from saying that, based on her comments here and elsewhere she perceives moral issues as political matters. Good Archbishop Cordileone wasted a lot of roses. Only our prayers can help her.
She’d likely need to get knocked off her high horse to be helped, but you never know.
Unfortunately, with rare exceptions, almost all Catholics I meet outside my affinity groups of pro-life orthodox Catholic friends, hold beliefs little different than Pelosi. They seem to believe all Catholic doctrine and dogma is political.
for a woman who is a staunch abortioniist I would suggest that she keep her opinions to herself.
To quote either Dear Abby or Anne Landers (from many years back) – “Madame Congresswoman, you have a point, but if you keep your hat on maybe no one will notice.”
I LOVE it when I have an opportunity to say that. Admittedly in these times there is a plethora (another favorite word) of times when such a statement fits, so one must choose carefully, and this is surely one of those times.
Eph 6:10ff – “Brothers and Sisters, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day…”
Thank you for the article showing Pelosi standing up for her Catholic faith.
Even a broken clock is right twice a day. Pelosi might be correct about the Vatican-China deal, but her stance on abortion completely undermines her credibility as a Catholic. She needs serious spiritual reflection.