Pelosi 'misspoke' on San Francisco Mass attendance, spokesman claims

Washington D.C., Sep 18, 2020 / 16:58 pm

Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office told CNA Friday evening that she "misspoke" when she described "recently" attending Mass in a San Francisco church, despite the city's months-long ban on indoor Masses.

"The Speaker misspoke. She has not been in San Francisco since September 5th due to ongoing talks around COVID relief and appropriations," spokesman Drew Hammill from the Speaker's office told CNA in a statement on Friday evening.

"She [Pelosi] has been participating regularly in church services virtually," Hammill said.

Hammill did not explain what Pelosi referred to when she described Sept. 18 attending what appeared to be an indoor Mass and receiving Communion "recently" at a San Francisco church.

Earlier on Friday morning, at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol, Pelosi was asked by Erik Rosales of EWTN News Nightly about a recent op-ed by Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, Pelosi's archbishop, on the "unfairness" of the city's public health rules.

Cordileone had pointed out the city's ban on indoor religious services-except for funerals-during the pandemic while gyms and hair salons were allowed to serve some customers indoors.

Pelosi answered that "I have been to church in San Francisco recently, and I did receive Communion."

She then went on to describe the experience in some detail, noting that she had to "sign up" to attend and that "I got in under the wire" as there were only two places left.

San Francisco has banned public indoor religious services-except for funerals-for months. Outdoor services are permitted with a cap on 12 people, although Speaker Pelosi's recollection of the event recounted an indoor service.

"And when we got there-the church maybe holds 250 people. There were probably 12 people," she said, "very, very, very spaced. But that was it, no more would be allowed."

"And then we did receive Communion," she said, noting that the priest washed his hands before distributing Communion, and that she received Communion in the hand.

"I miss going to church regularly," she said. "Of course, we have virtual Mass here, many Masses in D.C., but all the other places…"

On Friday evening, however, Pelosi's office told CNA that she "misspoke," but did not explain in what she had misspoken.

Public Masses in San Francisco were suspended by the archdiocese on March 17, and the city's public health ordinances have not yet allowed for public indoor Masses.

Archbishop Cordileone later informed parishes that they could resume public Masses on June 14, according to the city attorney's office. However, the city said it informed the archdiocese on June 11 that indoor Masses were still barred "for the time being" as a public health risk.

Exceptions were made only for funerals with 12 or fewer persons, and live-streamed services where only necessary personnel were present to help with the Mass or video production.

On June 29, the city sent the archdiocese a cease-and-desist letter for public indoor Masses, saying that it had not officially amended the health order to allow for them.

"Our intention has always been to conform to what we understand to be the City orders and timelines," the archdiocese said July 2, noting that the city's orders had changed through the pandemic.

The situation continued through the summer. Archbishop Cordileone on July 30 urged prayer and fasting for an end to the pandemic and "for a restoration of public worship unhindered."

In August, Cordileone asked the mayor to "at a minimum, remove the excessive limits on outdoor public worship."

The city, meanwhile, watched for any possible violations of its order, sending the archdiocese a letter on Aug. 12 outlining "several things of concern."

The city's mayor, London Breed, announced this week that outdoor religious services with up to 50 people would be permitted beginning Sept. 14, but indoor religious services were still prohibited until Oct. 1, where they would be permitted with a cap at 25 people.

Archbishop Cordileone is leading a Eucharistic procession past city hall on Sept. 20 as a protest against the ongoing orders limiting Masses. He wrote in his Washington Post op-ed that "all we are seeking is access to worship in our own churches, following reasonable safety protocols."

Pelosi, on Friday morning, said that the archbishop should abide by science in his desire to reopen churches.

(Story continues below)

"With all due respect to my archbishop, I think we should follow science on this," she said.

She later added that "I don't know if he [Cordileone] was speaking as our pastor or as a lobbyist-advocate. But whatever it is, I am sure that he must have meant [reopen churches] if it is scientifically safe, rather than jeopardizing people's health if they want to go to Church."