Speaker Nancy “the theologian” Pelosi: public policy must conform to the Word made flesh

I am truly not making this up.

Speaker Nancy "the theologian" Pelosi says, and this is on video, that public policy must conform to the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ.

From CNSNews.com comes this from the Speaker of the House Nancy "the theologian" Pelosi (D-CA).

Pelosi Says She Has a Duty to Pursue Policies in Keeping With The Values of Jesus, ‘The Word Made Flesh’

(CNSNews.com) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) says she believes she must pursue public policies "in keeping with the values" of Jesus Christ, "The Word made Flesh.[Would she say that Jesus would approve of her promotion of abortion?]

Pelosi, who is a Catholic and who favors legalized abortion, [promotes] voted against the ban on partial-birth abortion that was enacted into law in 2003.
 
At a May 6 Catholic Community Conference on Capitol Hill, the speaker said: “They ask me all the time, ‘What is your favorite this? What is your favorite that? What is your favorite that?’ And one time, ‘What is your favorite word?’ And I said, ‘My favorite word? That is really easy. My favorite word is the Word, is the Word. And that is everything. It says it all for us. And you know the biblical reference, you know the Gospel reference of the Word.” [? … What is that?  "the Gospel reference of the Word"?  Given her unforgettable theological exposition of St. Augustine, what could she mean by this?  Let’s read on!  Keep in mind that "Word", capitalized, usually means Scripture or the Eternal Word, Christ the Divine Logos. Which does she mean here?  Just wait!]

And that Word," Pelosi said, "is, we have to give voice to what that means in terms of public policy that would be in keeping with the values of the Word. The Word. Isn’t it a beautiful word when you think of it? It just covers everything. The Word. [Public policy… in keeping… with the values… of… the… Word!  But wait… there’s more!]
 
Fill it in with anything you want. [?!?  I hope she doesn’t mean shape the Word according to your own lights.  Maybe she means something about … what… public policy?] But, of course, we know it means: ‘The Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us.’ [But… fill it in with anything you want!] And that’s the great mystery of our faith. He will come again. He will come again. So, we have to make sure we’re prepared to answer in this life, or otherwise, as to how we have measured up.”  [Yes, Madame Speaker, you will be judged.  Is she starting to feel that cold pinch?  What Augustine called "our daily winter"?]

[Look… I am glad when elected officials do something to witness to their faith in public.  Fine.  But… but… is there not something a little inconsistent in the Speaker’s word on the Word?  The Word made flesh at the instant of the Word’s conception?  That is when the Word was made flesh, after all… in the moment of conception!  The CNS piece goes on…]
 
John 1:14 states, "And the Word was made flesh, [And in that moment of conception… in that instant of conception… the Word was made Flesh.] and dwelt among us, (and we saw His glory, the glory as it were of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth."

The passage from the Gospel of John, Christians believe, refers to God (the Word) becoming a man, Jesus Christ, at the moment of the Annunciation, [note] when the angel Gabriel told the Virgin Mary she was going to have a child. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, “the Incarnation is the mystery and the dogma of the Word made Flesh.”
 
Section 423 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “We believe and confess that Jesus of Nazareth, born a Jew of a daughter of Israel at Bethlehem at the time of King Herod the Great and the emperor Caesar Augustus, a carpenter by trade, who died crucified in Jerusalem under the procurator Pontius Pilate during the reign of the emperor Tiberius, is the eternal Son of God made man. He ‘came from God’, ‘descended from heaven’, and ‘came in the flesh’. For ‘the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father … And from his fullness have we all received, grace upon grace.”
 
After Pope Benedict XVI met privately with Speaker Pelosi in February 2009, the Vatican issued a statement saying: "His Holiness took the opportunity to speak of the requirements of the natural moral law and the Church’s consistent teaching on the dignity of human life from conception to natural death which enjoin all Catholics, and especially legislators, jurists and those responsible for the common good of society, to work in co-operation with all men and women of good will in creating a just system of laws capable of protecting human life at all stages of its development." [She has been told this by the Vicar of Christ, the Word made flesh.]

Pelosi’s office did not respond to CNSNews.com’s follow-up questions regarding the speaker’s statement that she seeks to make policy in conformance with the values of the Word made flesh

Public policy in conformity to Jesus, the Word made flesh.  Isn’t that what she said?

Has it gotten to a point where she… just doesn’t realize what she is saying in public?

Has it gotten to a point where she… thinks she can say anything she wants to this group or that group and not have to adhere to it elsewhere?

And don’t forget this.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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52 Comments

  1. Jack Hughes says:

    At the risk of sounding uncharitable would the dear speaker should God ask it of her, witness to the Word with her own blood? does she like St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher? care so passionatly that Public Policy conform to the Word made Flesh that she would lay down her life for the Word? I ask because it is possible both in Europe and America that in 10-20yrs time we will be asked to do just that as we face the twin threats of the crescent and librelism.

  2. albizzi says:

    “Fill it in with anything you want”
    According to Mrs Pelosi, the main issue is to fill it. It doesn’t matter what it is filled with.
    Hollow words and nonsense.

  3. teomatteo says:

    She is our sister in Christ. She’s trying. She’s searching. She is on the same journey we are on…. Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

  4. JohnE says:

    I know her title is “Speaker”, but really, there are times (many times) when it would be so much better if she opened her mind and her ears and just kept her mouth shut.

  5. markomalley says:

    The scandal of it is this: the media will promote her “theology” as if she has equal authority to her bishop or the Bishop of Rome. And there will be some Catholics who will believe that she is teaching the authentic Faith. Yes, I know that is hard for us to believe as we joke about the “Chief Theologian of the House,” but sadly, it is true.

    Elizabeth Scalia has a good commentary on this situation.

  6. Jim of Bowie says:

    In the words of CNN’s Jack Cafferty (not someone I often agree with) “What a horrible woman”

  7. TomB says:

    Her internal polling must be way down.

  8. Northern Ox says:

    For whatever it’s worth, “CNSNews.com” is not the Catholic News Service. It’s something called “Cybercast News Service” and is affiliated with Brent Bozell and the Media Research Center.

  9. Breathtaking! Where did she make these comments? What was her audience.

  10. ghlad says:

    It’s so depressing to read this, and it smacks of a ploy to self-identify as a Catholic leader worthy of trust. As for myself, and especially for her own immortal soul, I hope she is still discerning the Gospel message and its incompatibility with her professed pubic policy, I mean public policy.

  11. ghlad says:

    Fr. Sirico, the link in the original post says “At a May 6 Catholic Community Conference on Capitol Hill…”

    I have no idea what the Catholic Community is, or what they do at their conferences, but with exegesis like Spkr. Pelosi, it doesn’t sound too, err, good.

  12. JohnE says:

    Perhaps one day Nancy will look back on all this and wince in sorrow about the embarrassingly incoherent and hypocritical things she used to say when she was trying to reconcile her faith with her policies towards the killing of the unborn.

  13. Clinton says:

    Imagine if a Congressman from the other side of the aisle had said such a thing. The pundits would all be tut-tutting about the
    dangers of a right-wing theocracy in the making. The DNC would showcase the incident in yet another hysterical fundraising drive.

    I think that the complacency with which the media and left-of-center organizations are responding to Madame Speaker’s ramblings
    show that they understand that she’s not really serious, just pandering.

  14. Thomas G. says:

    Agree with Clinton: where are all the media pundits screaming about “separation of Church and State”?

  15. MichaelJ says:

    Of course, there is always the possibility that Mrs. Pelosi has had a change of heart. I’m not holding my breath, but wouldn’t it be glorious if she began to reverse herself?

  16. Mike says:

    To be fair, I don’t think she was saying it’s ok to fill it with anything you want. She quickly adds that we know the Word is God made flesh.

    I think, as Fr. Z suggests, she’s feeling the pinch, the inevitable hour that comes for every soul.

    Let’s keep praying she get and accept light from on high.

    One more note: has this woman ever heard of natural reason?

    Yes, the Word is everything, the core of our Faith, but there is reason by which we can appeal to unbelievers.

    I know. I’m asking too much!

  17. Thomas S says:

    These people have gotten away scot-free for so long, this kind of brazen display is to be expected. Maybe one day we’ll have a generation of bishops who will actually do their job.

  18. EXCHIEF says:

    teomatteo
    She’s “trying”? She’s “searching”? Give me a break. She’s doing what she always does. Bending “words” (even God’s word) to suit her selfish political cause. She’s a joke, as a person and as speaker of the house…a very bad joke at that. Am I being too harsh and judgmental? Maybe…but if I am it doesn’t even begin to offset the kid gloves with which the Church heirarchy treats this dispicable woman.

  19. Stu says:

    If she is drunk, then it has been a multi-year binge on her part.

    Hey Sean!

  20. Tradster says:

    I think she’s just trying to position herself for the same disgraceful “Catholic” extravaganza someday that Ted Kennedy got when he died.

  21. gloriainexcelsis says:

    This poor woman is to be pitied, censured and prayed for. She may be a joke, a fool, ignorant and/or crazy. In any case, pray for her immortal soul.

  22. lucy says:

    I agree with gloriainexcelsis above. While I also think she is pretty foolish, she is to be prayed for. I wish no one the destination of hell. We all need to pray most heartily for their conversion of heart daily.

  23. TJerome says:

    Archbishop Niederauer: Are you listening? Do you even care? If you don’t deal with Pelosi, you’re aiding and abetting abortion by permitting this scandal to continue.

  24. TNCath says:

    I’m beginning to pity this woman out of concern for her mental health. Watching Speaker Pelosi and the way she operates the last couple of years, I am convinced that there is something seriously wrong with her psychologically. Her thought processes and public statements, particularly when they refer to moral and social issues, are incredibly misguided and often just plain wrong. I wouldn’t be surprised if she has a complete mental breakdown, specifically about the time of the 2012 elections, that will necessitate her having to relinquish her position as Speaker of the House.

  25. We can only hope, TNCath, we can only hope.

    Yo Stu!

  26. wanda says:

    The word, the word, the word…incoherent rambling, Madame speaker. The Word of God, Jesus Christ, became flesh at the moment of His conception in Mary’s womb. How do you reconcile that fact with tax-payer dollars flowing freely now, as the result of the nightmare of a health care bill, to pay for the murder of un-born children in their mother’s wombs? Ask yourself Madame speaker, what would Jesus Christ, The Eternal Word, do?

  27. Hypocrisy aside (and that is obvious), this is actually not a bad attempt at a short description of what a Catholic legislator should think of the task. “Fill it in with whatever you want.” Is clearly meant as a challenge to those who would disagree with the Christocentric reply of the next line.

    If this had been spoken by a pro-life politician, even a Protestant, everyone would be praising it. And again, before I get trashed, I didn’t vote for her and I don’t like her.

  28. Central Valley says:

    And the American Bishops will be silent again. She will show up at their Masses and receive communion and she will attend their dinner parties and the faithful in the pews will suffer more.

  29. JimGB says:

    She is incoherent. Please God her days in the Speaker’s chair are numbered.

  30. Random Friar says:

    My confrere Fr. Augustine Thompson has given a good critical examination of the statement in itself.

    As for her, although it’s for a different topic, the Pope has asked us to do penance — not just the guilty, for the scandal the members of Holy Mother Church have caused. Excellent advice. I think the message of Fatima would likewise encourage us to do penance for her.

  31. bookworm says:

    A stopped clock is right twice a day… and a blind squirrel will find an acorn once in a while. Seems to me that Ms. Pelosi has stumbled across a gold nugget of wisdom whose worth she does not fully realize.

    Note that there were many instances in Scripture where God spoke or acted through pagans, sinners, criminals, and even animals like the prophet Balaam’s donkey (Numbers 22). If He could use people who rebelled against Him or didn’t believe in him then, surely He can do it now.

  32. “My favorite word is the Word, is the Word. And that is everything. It says it all for us.”

    I’m not sure mental illness can explain this. Coming from Pelosi, this rhetoric is akin to Judas’ kiss in both sincerity and influence. “Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot…” I’m being serious. It seems to me that the sort of blatant, in your face disregard for Christ that we are witnessing here is inexplicable apart from recognizing it as the behavior of someone who has fallen into the grip of the Evil One.

  33. Madame Speaker Pelosi should immerse herself in what Pope Benedict has written about “the Word”…the ‘logos’…the very origin and meaning of existence, of creation, of time and eternity, of meaning itself…if then, her words actually “mean something”, viz. the Word…as understood in the Prologue of the Gospel of Saint John, it will be meaningful and fruitful.
    If she is getting this from some stupid counsel from a “Catholic” theologian or religious (woman religious/women religious?), to muddy the waters, then she is just babbling…

  34. TonyLayne says:

    Final proof — if anyone needed it — that one cannot embrace subjectivism or relativism without being divorced from reality, on grounds of infidelity.

    Poor woman.

  35. Peggy R says:

    Last Lent I prayed for her soul and the souls of her fellow pro-abort Catholics, following her visit to the Vatican. I suppose we all must hit some sort of bottom, however. I do worry about her soul and lack of moral clarity. It’s too easy to mock and criticize her for the outrageous theology and morality she expresses.

  36. TonyLane: Amen, brother!

  37. ghp95134 says:

    As someone who has a wife suffering mental illness, I PLEAD with everybody: please do not wish this illness on anyone … not even your enemy.

  38. ghp95134: I am so sorry for you and your wife. I know the suffering of mental illness from my experiences in family and others; God bless you both. You are right…this is an extremely heavy cross to bear…no, not even an enemy. We have to pray for those in high positions who have influence upon all kinds of things that their judgment and moral decisions be based in God’s Law.
    Mary bless you!

  39. Thank you, “Random Friar.” –AT op

  40. Latter-day Guy says:

    Well, I can see the Speaker’s point on the issue of slaughtering the young. I mean, not every pregnancy situation is ideal––imagine the circumstances of a woman who gets pregnant at quite a young age; who lacks practically anything we would consider a formal education; a young woman who isn’t married, and will face harsh judgment from her community when they discover her condition; perhaps she’s living in a situation where you wouldn’t want to raise a child, like a country occupied by a foreign army; and, for the sake of the hypothetical, let’s call her Mary…

  41. SPQRatae says:

    “Fill it in with anything you want.”

    And there, ladies and gentlemen, is the best summary I have ever read of why western culture and civilisation has lost its way.

  42. albizzi says:

    The devouring ambition of politicians like Mrs Pelosi make them twisting everything so that it matches the actual political correctness.
    I once read that Ted Kennedy was pro-life in the beginning. What made him reversing his opinion? The ambition and the fear to be labelled a retrograde.
    Ambition is pride. Pride is the second after impurity in the list of sins that are leading to Hell.
    Pride makes us blind.

  43. JonM says:

    These people have gotten away scot-free for so long, this kind of brazen display is to be expected. Maybe one day we’ll have a generation of bishops who will actually do their job.

    That’s right. It’s not news that so and so politician said something lacking doctrinal orthodoxy. 50 years of personal magesteria, with the tacit (sometimes verbal) approval of Bishops, not to mention over 100 years of Americanism (material for a different topic) necessarily led to this.

  44. Salvatore_Giuseppe says:

    She looks so proud of herself as she gives that speech. I just want to wipe that smirk off her face with tbe Truth.

  45. TJerome says:

    Bishops should stop worrying about collections and fight for the Faith. Deus Vult!

  46. Jbuntin says:

    In watching this vidio, I notice Nancy seems to be uncomfortable. She is constanly looking down and not at the crowd she is speaking to. This looks to me as if she knows she is lying, but doesn’t want people to see it in her eyes. The lie would be she doesn’t believe what she is saying. Just my 2 cents what ever it’s worth. She needs our prayers for her conversion and repentance.
    There is something about her and President Obama both that make me uncomfortable when I look at them. I sometimes imagine they are both posessed by evil, but who am I to make such a judgment?

  47. Rob Cartusciello says:

    I blame really bad preaching & catechesis for Speaker Pelosi’s statemtn. People don’t use theological language like “The Word” (Logos) unless it is taught to them. I’m guessing she heard it in a homily or read it in an article some time in the past last twenty years, if not the past ten.

    Sadly, beyond this near-gnostic faith in “The Word”, no depth or appreciation for the teachings of the church were imparted.

    Catholics have been taught to be stupid. Many people have labored long hours to ensure our ignorance of the fullness of the Way, the Truth and the Life.

  48. irishgirl says:

    Nancy Pelosi needs to ‘zip her lips’. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.

    I didn’t watch the video. I can’t stand the sight of her, much less hearing her whiny voice.

    I hope that her days in the Speaker’s chair are numbered.

    St. Thomas More, pray for us!

  49. ALL: I had an email from a priest reader, who wrote:

    Regarding Ms Pelosi’s reference to “the word” on your website, please note that she did not mention the word “God” or “Jesus”. To say that she said that public policy should conform to Jesus Christ indicates is not supportable by this spun speech.

    I am puzzled. This is what Speaker Pelosi said:

    But, of course, we know it means: ‘The Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us.’ And that’s the great mystery of our faith. He will come again. He will come again.

    Is the “Word made flesh” who will “come again” someone other than Jesus Christ?

    She said:

    “And that Word,” Pelosi said, “is, we have to give voice to what that means in terms of public policy that would be in keeping with the values of the Word. The Word.

    She goes on to say that that Word is the “Word made flesh” who will “come again”.

    Am I missing something?

  50. MichaelJ says:

    Speaker Pelosi certainly did seem to be saying that “public policy must conform to the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ.”. Is there any harm, then, to withold judgement about her sincerity until we see what she does in regards to publich policy?

    Perhaps she is so untrustworty that we can never trust her. If that is the case, though, what is the point of praying for her conversion and repentance?

  51. I think we all jumped the gun here and were way too quick to judge…

    Pelosi’s office issued a statement today saying that this video was released as an Obamacare clinical trial for the treatment of Catholics with low blood pressure. The good news is it seems to working beautifully.

  52. catholicmidwest says:

    Nancy Pelosi is a blithering idiot.

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