U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has received Communion during a papal Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, despite her position in support of abortion rights.
Pelosi attended the morning Mass on Wednesday marking the feasts of St. Peter and St. Paul. Two people who witnessed the moment said she received Communion along with the rest of the congregants.
Pelosi also met with Pope Francis before Mass and received his blessing, according to one of the people. Pelosi’s home archbishop has said he will no longer allow her to receive the sacrament in his archdiocese because of her support for abortion rights.
The speaker has been outspoken about her opposition to the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade last week.
"What this means to women is such an insult, It's a slap in the face to women about using their own judgment to make their own decisions about their reproductive freedoms," she said.
President Joe Biden, who is also a Catholic who supports abortion rights, said last year that the Pope told him he should continue to receive communion.
“We just talked about the fact he was happy that I was a good Catholic and I should keep receiving Communion,” Biden said.
