Bishops respond to Nancy Pelosi

Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput may not have been invited to speak at the Democratic National Convention, but he is determined to be heard.

On Monday he, along with Denver Auxiliary Bishop James D. Conley, issued a statement in response to U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's statements regarding Catholicism on "Meet the Press" Sunday. You may recall that Rep. Pelosi (D-Calif.) stated that the defining when human life begins "shouldn't have an impact on a woman's right to choose." This was after she identified herself as an "ardent, practicing Catholic."

In a tract titled "On the Separation of Sense and State: A Clarification for the People of the Church of Northern Colorado," the bishops remarked that "Ardent, practicing Catholics will quickly learn from the historical record that from apostolic times, the Christian tradition overwhelmingly held that abortion was grivously evil."

Read the full statement.

UPDATE: Philadelphia Cardinal Joseph Rigali, chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Committee for Pro-Life Activities; and Bridgeport (Conn.) Bishop William E. Lori, chairman of the USCCB's Committee on Doctrine, quickly followed suit with a joint statement titled that condemed Pelosi's statements.

"In the course of a 'Meet the Press' interview on abortion and other public issues on August 24, 2008, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi misrepresented the history and nature of the authentic teaching of the Catholic Church against abortion," Cardinal Rigali and Bishop Lori wrote, illustrating their point with the history of the Catholic Church's teaching and canon law regarding abortion.

As of this writing, the statement is on the home page on the USCCB Web site