The Bishop and the Speaker

Last year, while Catholic bishops were discussing how to handle pro-abortion politicians, Pope Francis is reported to have said that bishops should be pastoral and work toward a change of their heart, but he added that such people "cannot take communion, because they are out of the community." I'm not sure that he wanted a high-profile case to be made. But on Friday, he got one. Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco announced that he was barring House Speaker Nancy Pelosi from receiving communion in his diocese, where she has her home.