Rachel Evans
Nancy Pelosi is a Democratic politician with strong ties to the Jewish community. She considers herself a devout Catholic, although she has had disagreements with members of the church hierarchy over gay rights, abortion, contraception, and in vitro fertilization. Pelosi's father, Thomas D'Alesandro Jr., was an early advocate of Jewish statehood, and Pelosi grew up with Jewish friends and neighbours. She has visited Israel multiple times and has hosted Israeli leaders in Washington. Pelosi has also promoted Jewish colleagues to leadership roles in Congress.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Religion | Catholic |
| Religion | Jewish Grandchildren |
| Catholic Schooling | Yes |
| Supportive of LGBT rights | Yes |
| Supportive of abortion rights | Yes |
| Supportive of same-sex marriage | Yes |
| Supportive of marijuana law reform | Yes |
| Supportive of ending discrimination against LGBT people | Yes |
| Opposed Trump's transgender military ban | Yes |
| Supportive of the Affordable Care Act | Yes |
| Supportive of immigration | Yes |
| Supportive of health care | Yes |
| Supportive of environment | Yes |
| Supportive of migration | Yes |
| Supportive of poverty alleviation | Yes |
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What You'll Learn
Nancy Pelosi's Catholic faith
Nancy Pelosi is a Catholic. She attended the Institute of Notre Dame, an all-girls Catholic high school in Baltimore. She considers herself a "devout Catholic", but her stance on issues like LGBT rights, same-sex marriage, abortion, contraception, and in vitro fertilisation has put her at odds with the church and its doctrines.
Pelosi has said that her Catholic faith is the reason for her position on LGBT rights and same-sex marriage. She believes that her religion compels her to be against discrimination of any kind, including the ban on gay marriage, which she considers a form of discrimination. She supports the Equality Act, which would expand the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Pelosi's support for abortion rights has been a long-standing flashpoint with the Catholic Church. She has argued for a woman's right to choose, stating that "it's a woman's right to make her own choices with her family, her God, her doctor." In 2022, the archbishop of San Francisco, Salvatore Cordileone, barred her from receiving Holy Communion because of her support for abortion. Despite this, Pelosi met with Pope Francis in Rome and received Communion during a Mass at St. Peter's Basilica.
Pelosi has also clashed with the Catholic Church over health care. One of her most notable legislative accomplishments was the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, which she worked on with Catholic sisters. However, the Church lobbied against the Act due to contraception coverage.
Pelosi's Catholic faith has been a significant influence on her political career, and she has frequently invoked it during her time in national politics. Her faith has drawn both praise and condemnation, with progressives seeing her as a champion of the church's social justice values, while conservatives have criticised her for not taking her faith seriously enough due to her liberal political views.
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Pelosi's views on abortion rights
Nancy Pelosi, a devout Catholic, has had several disagreements with members of the Catholic Church hierarchy over abortion rights. Pelosi has stated that she believes it is a "woman's right to make her own choices with her family, her God, and her doctor."
Pelosi has been a vocal supporter of abortion rights and has criticised the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, calling it "an evisceration of Americans' rights" and a "slap in the face of women." She has also warned that Republicans are plotting a nationwide abortion ban and has vowed to fight to enshrine Roe v. Wade into law.
In May 2022, Pelosi and other pro-choice Democrats lined the steps of the U.S. Capitol in opposition to the Supreme Court's potential decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. A leaked draft opinion published in Politico indicated that the Court was prepared to take this step, and Democrats vowed to fight the decision and continue pushing for abortion rights legislation.
Pelosi's support for abortion rights has put her at odds with the Catholic Church. In April 2022, the Archbishop of San Francisco, Salvatore Cordileone, announced that Pelosi would be barred from receiving Holy Communion because of her pro-choice stance. Cordileone had previously communicated his concerns to Pelosi, asking her to repudiate her advocacy for abortion rights or refrain from referring to her Catholic faith in public and receiving Holy Communion. However, in June 2022, Pelosi received Communion at a Papal Mass presided over by Pope Francis in Rome at St. Peter's Basilica.
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Pelosi's support for the Jewish community
Nancy Pelosi is a devout Catholic, but she has had disagreements with members of the church hierarchy over issues such as gay rights, abortion, contraception, and in vitro fertilization. She has, however, expressed her support for the Jewish community on numerous occasions.
Pelosi grew up in a Democratic family with Jewish neighbours and friends. She has connected her political support for the Jewish state with her personal life, noting that her son-in-law is Jewish and that her grandchildren sing in Hebrew.
Pelosi has been applauded by Jewish organizational officials for her record on Jewish communal issues. William Daroff, vice president for public policy for the United Jewish Communities, acknowledged that Pelosi has helped ensure federal funding for Jewish family service agencies and hospitals and has supported government programs and policies valued by Jewish organizations, such as Medicare and Medicaid.
Rabbi Doug Kahn, director of the Jewish Community Relations Council in San Francisco, also praised Pelosi’s repudiation of former President Carter’s description of Israel’s settlement policies as “apartheid.” He noted that his group has always had an excellent working relationship with her and admired her passion for issues related to equal opportunity, social justice, and peace.
In recognition of Jewish American Heritage Month, Pelosi released a statement celebrating the contributions of Jewish Americans to the United States and emphasizing the importance of defending religious liberty for all. She also highlighted the Jewish spirit of tikkun olam, which calls on us to repair the world, pursue justice, and advance the common good.
At an AIPAC members luncheon in San Francisco after the September 11 terror attacks, Pelosi was speaking when an alarm sounded. Instead of panicking, she calmly read the words of Hatikvah, the Israeli national anthem, which helped to calm the crowd. This incident became legendary in the Jewish community as a demonstration of Pelosi's genuine support for the Jewish people.
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Pelosi's grandchildren singing in Hebrew
U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi is a Catholic. However, she has had numerous disagreements with members of the church hierarchy over gay rights, abortion, contraception, and in vitro fertilization. Pelosi's father, Thomas D'Alesandro Jr., was an early advocate of Jewish statehood. Pelosi grew up in a Democratic family with Jewish neighbours and friends. She has visited Israel multiple times and has hosted Israeli leaders in Washington.
Pelosi's support for the Jewish state is connected to her personal life. Her daughter is Catholic, and her son-in-law is Jewish. Pelosi's grandchildren, aged 4 and 6, once surprised her by singing 'Happy Birthday' in Hebrew.
Pelosi has been praised for her support of the Jewish community. At an AIPAC members luncheon in San Francisco right after the September 11 terror attacks, an alarm sounded, and everyone started scrambling toward the door. However, Pelosi calmly read the words of Hatikvah, the Israeli national anthem, which soothed the crowd. Sam Lauter, a pro-Israel activist in San Francisco, has known Pelosi for nearly 40 years and considers her a great friend of the U.S.-Israel relationship.
Pelosi's commitment to the Jewish community is also evident in her political actions. She has promoted Jewish colleagues to leadership roles in Congress and quickly refuted former President Carter's description of Israel's settlement policies as "apartheid". As the first woman elected as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, she invited a rabbi, David Saperstein, to headline the event, demonstrating her support for the Jewish community.
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Pelosi's interfaith family
Nancy Pelosi considers herself a "devout Catholic", but she has had several disagreements with members of the church hierarchy over gay rights, abortion, contraception, and in vitro fertilization. She has connected her political support for the Jewish state with her personal life, as her son-in-law is Jewish and her grandchildren sing in Hebrew.
Pelosi grew up in an Italian-American family in Baltimore, Maryland, with Jewish friends and neighbours. She has been described as close to the Jewish community, and her family has a soccer field in the Haifa area of Israel named after them. Pelosi has also been praised for her record on Jewish communal issues, such as helping to ensure federal funding of Jewish family service agencies and supporting government programs valued by Jewish organizations, like Medicare and Medicaid.
Pelosi's support for the Jewish community was highlighted by an incident at an AIPAC members luncheon in San Francisco right after the September 11 terror attacks. As an alarm sounded, causing nervousness and panic, Pelosi began reading the words of Hatikvah, the Israeli national anthem, which calmed the crowd.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Pelosi considers herself a "devout Catholic". She graduated from an all-girls Catholic high school and has frequently invoked her Catholic faith during her political career.
Pelosi has clashed with the Catholic Church on several issues, including abortion rights, same-sex marriage, gay rights, contraception, and in vitro fertilisation.
In May 2022, San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone barred Pelosi from receiving Holy Communion due to her support for abortion rights. However, in June 2022, Pelosi received Communion at a Papal Mass presided over by Pope Francis in Rome.
Pelosi has a close relationship with the Jewish community. Her son-in-law is Jewish, and she has Jewish grandchildren. She has also shown support for the state of Israel.
