Pope Benedict XVI recently talked about Catholic politicians when talking to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi:

Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday told U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, a Catholic who supports abortion rights, that Catholic politicians have a duty to protect life “at all stages of its development,” the Vatican said.

Pelosi is the first top Democrat to meet with Benedict since the election of Barack Obama, who won a majority of the Catholic vote despite differences with the Vatican on abortion.

The Vatican released remarks by the pope to Pelosi, saying Benedict spoke of the church’s teaching “on the dignity of human life from conception to natural death.” That is an expression often used by the pope when expressing opposition to abortion.

Benedict said all Catholics—especially legislators, jurists and political leaders—should work to create “a just system of laws capable of protecting human life at all stages of its development.”

Pelosi describes herself as a Roman Catholic, but one gets the sense that she might not even agree with the Pope on this important issue.  Actually, she has said it outright.  Remember the Meet the Press when Tom Brokaw asked Nancy Pelosi, a Roman Catholic, about when life begins.   Here’s what she said:

I would say that as an ardent, practicing Catholic, this is an issue that I have studied for a long time. And what I know is, over the centuries, the doctors of the church have not been able to make that definition. And Senator–St. Augustine said at three months. We don’t know. The point is, is that it shouldn’t have an impact on the woman’s right to choose.

The Catholic Church knows full well that life begins at conception, but according to Pelosi…”we don’t know.”  Now, the Pope has told her directly where the Catholic Church stands.

Think she’ll change her tune?  I don’t.

Considering that abortion is a sin that can incur automatic excommunication, you’d think most Catholic politicians would be on board in condemning and illegalizing it.  But that doesn’t seem to be the case in America, a country where Catholics often vote around 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats.

I agree with the Pope:  Catholic politicians should be on board.