A California bishop is calling on Catholics across the country to send roses to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) until she reverses her position on abortion.
San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone is partnering with the California-based Benedict XVI Institute to flood the speaker's office with roses to protest her stance on abortion. The group arranged the delivery of 7,700 roses to Pelosi's Capitol Hill office on Sunday to mark the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness of America and the unborn. The group aims to send an additional 100 roses every day that Pelosi maintains her pro-abortion stance.
During the first year of President Joe Biden's term, Catholic Democrats have been subjected to scrutiny for their pro-abortion beliefs. Catholic leaders have clashed over whether Biden or other pro-abortion politicians should be able to receive Communion. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops debated the issue this year but stopped short of denying any politicians Communion.
The Benedict XVI Institute began sending roses to Pelosi's San Francisco office in October. Each rose represents a Catholic who signed a petition pledging to pray one rosary a week and fast on Fridays for Pelosi's "conversion of heart" on the issue of abortion. More than 16,000 have made the pledge so far.
Pelosi often talks about her Catholic faith playing a role in her approach as a leader. But she has remained unapologetically pro-abortion. NARAL, a leading pro-abortion group, gave Pelosi a 100 percent rating for her congressional record on abortion policy.
Archbishop Cordileone, whose diocese includes Pelosi's district, said the speaker is in a "unique position" to convert hearts and minds to the pro-life side.
"I would hope that, through her, all of America will recognize that the right response to a crisis pregnancy is not violence but love—surrounding her with love and support of every kind, so that she can bring her baby to see the light of day," the archbishop told the Washington Free Beacon.
Pelosi has pushed House Democrats to expand abortion access ahead of a Supreme Court case that could overturn Roe v. Wade. The House passed a bill in September that would codify Roe and overturn pro-life laws across the country. A spending bill passed in July did not include the Hyde Amendment, which prevents federal-taxpayer dollars from funding abortion. The Senate is unlikely to pass either measure.