Speaking on The View, actress and talk show host Whoopi Goldberg criticized Salvatore Cordileone, a San Francisco archbishop who denied House Speaker Nancy Pelosi communion due to her stance on reproductive rights.
Cordileone made headlines after he said in a letter to Pelosi that she must "publicly repudiate" her stance or leave him "no choice but to make a declaration, in keeping with canon 915, that you are not to be admitted to Holy Communion.”
His letter did not sit well with Goldberg, who said that Cordileone's notice to Pelosi starts to “blur the lines between church and state.”
You can hear her remarks in the video below.
Whoopi: "The archbishop of San Francisco is calling for speaker Nancy Pelosi to be denied receiving Communion because of her pro-choice stance ... this is not your job, dude. That is not up to you to make that decision." pic.twitter.com/TCSe0t6XLY
— Washington Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) May 23, 2022
Goldberg said:
"The abortion rights battle is starting to blur the lines between church and state. The archbishop of San Francisco is calling for Speaker Nancy Pelosi to be denied receiving Communion because of her pro-choice stance."
"He is also one of the priests who called for [Democratic President Joe] Biden to be denied the Sacrament."
"This is not your job, dude! You can’t — that is not up to you to make that decision."
“You know, what is the saying? It’s kind of amazing. But, you know, what is the point of communion, right?"
"It's for sinners. It’s for sinners. It’s the reward of saints, but the bread of sinners."
"How dare you?"
Goldberg went on to suggest that Pope Francis, as the official leader of the Catholic Church, would be the one whose opinion would matter here.
Cordileone's letter to Pelosi comes as Democrats continue to take a strong stance on reproductive freedom in the weeks since a leaked draft opinion indicated the Supreme Court's ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization will move to strike down Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark decision that protects a person's right to choose reproductive healthcare without excessive government restriction.
Senate Democrats attempted to codify Roe's protections into law by pushing for a vote on the Women’s Health Protection Act, but Republicans—with help from Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia—blocked the legislation.
With mere weeks to go before the Supreme Court issues its final opinion, the issue of reproductive rights has highlighted a sharp divide between both sides of the political aisle.
Goldberg's remarks were largely applauded.
"This is not your job, dude. That is not up to you to make that decision."
-Whoopi Goldberg on the Archbishop of San Francisco's call for Speaker Pelosi to be denied communion because of her Pro-choice stance
She's absolutely right by the way
— Henry Djoutsa 🇨🇲🇺🇸 Supports🇺🇦 (@D_jeneration) May 23, 2022
The Catholic Church is hemorrhaging members, due to both the internet killing off religious belief as well as the Church's ridiculous protection of pedophile priests over the millennia. @TeamPelosi is a hero to most Americans; this Archbishop can Go. To. Hell. https://t.co/VxDyjUTtgb
— hypatia264 (@hypatia264) May 23, 2022
Agree with Whoopi! Catholic Church is hypocritical. Archbishop not following Jesus here. https://t.co/5M0U05dRO7
— BBQueengoodtrouble (@bettybake7) May 23, 2022
Crazy how some of this Bishops act like they are not Sinners nonsense https://t.co/SZofNFI3lz
— Jason (@Farfromhate) May 23, 2022
Again - I would wear this as a badge of honor. Then I would find a religion that cared about my spiritual needs and not a political agenda and I would become the MF spokesperson for it. https://t.co/XGQUxxhu15
— Loud & Aggressive (@Nixie) May 23, 2022
Considering the #CatholicChurch is taking a highly politicized viewpoint here, I’m wondering if perhaps it’s time to tax them?
Oh…and also…they sure do molest a lot of children!#TaxTheChurches https://t.co/LjQ6NnMZyh
— Disturbingly Pragmatic (@DPwithDP) May 23, 2022
Says the man who has probably spent most of his adult life protecting pedophiles. https://t.co/la6cvbPsdi
— soulClover (@soul_clover3) May 23, 2022
If the Pope allows Joe Biden Communion while supporting #RoeVsWade -
Then why would his underling deny Nancy Pelosi Communion for doing the same thing as Joe?
Typical religious hypocrisy. #communion https://t.co/WCeoz8JWWD
— Tammie Camp (@sadies_dogpal) May 23, 2022
One can have little doubt Cordileone would prefer a dictatorship to democracy.
People like Cordileone are why JFK had to give his speech saying he wasn’t going to take orders from the Church. https://t.co/JnjZHrLoU1
— Djinn Djinn (((🐾))) GROWLLL! SHRED! SHRED! SHRED! (@chemoelectric) May 23, 2022
Last year, Cordileone explained that he did not believe that pro-choice politicians should be eligible to receive Communion and called for a "conversion of heart" when it comes to Speaker Pelosi's stance on abortion rights.
Pelosi's response to Cordileone's latest rebuke was pointed:
"I wonder about death penalty, which I am opposed to. So is the church, but they take no action against people who may not share their view. ... So, we just have to be prayerful. We have to be respectful. I come from a largely pro-life Italian American Catholic family, so I respect people's views about that. But I don't respect us foisting it onto others. Now our archbishop has been vehemently against LGBTQ rights, too, in fact, he led the way in some of the initiatives on — an initiative on the ballot in California. So, this decision taking us to privacy and precedent is very dangerous in the lives of so many of the American people."
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