A bishop from California has asked the Catholic faithful to join a campaign that pushes prayer and fasting for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
The Catholic Sentinel reported that San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone have urged the faithful for prayer and fasting for the conversion of Pelosi. He also asked the faithful to participate the "Rose and Rosary for Nancy" campaign of the Benedict XVI Institute in line will his call for prayer and fasting.
"He asked Catholics to sign up for the Benedict XVI Institute's 'Rose and Rosary for Nancy' campaign at http://BenedictInstitute.org. 'A rose will be sent to her as a symbol of your prayer and fasting for her'," the Catholic Sentinel announced in Twitter on Sunday.
The Benedict XVI Institute, an organization set to reestablish "the loss sense of the sacred" through beauty and art, explained that the campaign is symbolic of asking the intercession of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and the Saints, particularly Therese of Lisieux, who is known to have brought conversion to a hard-hearted criminal before his death sentence.
In a statement, Cordileone said Pelosi's reaction to the enactment of the Texas Heartbeat Act or Senate Bill 8 shows the much needed prayers for conversion. He stressed that Congressional leaders, most especially Pelosi who despite "fondly" speaking of her children, are pushing the culture of death.
"At this particular moment in the history of our nation, we need more than ever the intercession of our Blessed Mother, St. Therese, and all other saints who have shown us the path to life. Indeed, the reaction elicited by the passage of the Texas Heartbeat Bill shows how desperately our country, and many of our political leaders, need a conversion of heart to steer us away from the path to death and reclaim a culture of life," Cordileone said.
"Witness the House of Representatives' passage of HR 3755, which would impose abortion on demand nationwide at any stage of pregnancy. A conversion of heart of the majority of our Congressional representatives is needed on this issue, beginning with the leader of the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi," he added.
The archbishop expressed hope that through prayer and fasting, Pelosi's "maternal heart" would be reawakened to the truth on the dignity of the unborn and to the call of Pope Francis on it being "murder."
"Speaker Pelosi speaks fondly of her children. She clearly has a maternal heart. Pope Francis has called abortion murder, the equivalent of hiring a hitman to solve a problem. The solution to a woman in a crisis pregnancy is not violence but love," Cordileone pointed out.
"Please join me in praying the rosary and fasting for a conversion of Speaker Pelosi's maternal heart to embracing the goodness and dignity of human life not only after birth, but in the womb as well," he ended.
In line with the Women's Health Protection Act or HR 3755, Cordileone said on a September 21 statement that "it is especially shameful that any self-professed Catholic would be implicated in such an evil, let alone advocate for it." He called the bill a legislation for "child sacrifice" that doesn't suit the United States where "we can do better."
Cordileone revealed that the Texas Heartbeat Act is being challenged by The Satanic Temple on the "grounds of religious freedom", which he says comes as no surprise since the type of people who would push for HR 3755 are but "devout Satanist, not a devout Catholic."
Pelosi previously defended pushing for HR 3755 was borne from God giving "us free will" and that it is none of her business "how other people choose the size and timing of their families."
