Pope Leo XIV appoints archbishop who denied Nancy Pelosi communion to Vatican's highest court

Pope Leo XIV has appointed the archbishop who has denied former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., communion to the Vatican’s highest court while enabling him to continue serving in his current leadership role.

In a statement published Saturday, the Holy See Press Office announced the appointment of seven members of the clergy to the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura. The Vatican’s website defines the body as “the Church’s Supreme Tribunal and also ensures that justice in the Church is correctly administered,” which is “composed of Cardinals, Bishops, and priests appointed by the Roman Pontiff for a term of five years.”

Two of the appointees are bishops in the U.S.: Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of the Archdiocese of San Francisco and Bishop Edward Lohse of the Diocese of Kalamazoo. Cordileone has drew headlines in recent years for denying Pelosi, a practicing Catholic who resides in his archdiocese, communion because of her outspoken support for legal abortion.

In a statement published Saturday, Cordileone addressed his appointment and its impact on his role in the high-profile diocese.

“I receive this responsibility with a profound sense of stewardship, recognizing that every office in the Church is entrusted for the service of Christ, His people, and the mission of the Gospel,” he wrote.

“The Supreme Apostolic Signatura assists the Holy Father in safeguarding the proper administration of justice within the life of the Church,” Cordileone explained. “Justice in the Church is never merely legal; it is ordered toward the salvation of souls, the protection of the rights of the faithful, and the strengthening of ecclesial communion. I am honored to contribute to that important mission.”

Cordileone's appointment will not involve a reassignment or require him to relocate to Rome.

“My primary vocation remains that of shepherd of this archdiocese, and I will continue to devote myself to serving our priests, deacons, religious, and parishioners while fulfilling the additional responsibilities entrusted to me by the Holy Father," he stated. 

Cordileone first made headlines in 2021 when he authored a letter directing a message at pro-abortion Catholic politicians.

“If you find that you are unwilling or unable to abandon your advocacy for abortion, you should not come forward to receive Holy Communion. To publicly affirm the Catholic faith while at the same time publicly rejecting one of its most fundamental teachings is simply dishonest.”

“Please stop pretending that advocating for or practicing a grave moral evil — one that snuffs out an innocent human life, one that denies a fundamental human right — is somehow compatible with the Catholic faith. It is not,” he added.

A year later, Cordileone went a step further and issued a letter formally banning Pelosi, one of the most prominent Democratic lawmakers in the country and first woman to serve as speaker of the House, from receiving communion in the archdiocese.

“I am hereby notifying you that you are not to present yourself for Holy Communion and, should you do so, you are not to be admitted to Holy Communion, until such times as you publicly repudiate your advocacy for the legitimacy of abortion and confess and receive absolution of this grave sin in the sacrament of Penance,” the letter stated.

Cordileone said his actions are consistent with the message laid out in a 2004 letter to top Catholic Church officials in the U.S. from then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who would later become Pope Benedict XVI.

According to Ratzinger, “When a person’s formal cooperation becomes manifest (understood, in the case of a Catholic politician, as his consistently campaigning and voting for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws), his Pastor should meet with him, instructing him about the Church’s teaching, informing him that he is not to present himself for Holy Communion until he brings to an end the objective situation of sin, and warning him that he will otherwise be denied the Eucharist.”

Cordileone also noted that the Church’s Code of Canon Law declares that “those obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to holy communion.” Cordileone’s prohibition on Pelosi receiving communion in the archdiocese followed an intense public debate about whether the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) should formally ban Catholic politicians who support abortion rights from receiving communion nationwide.

While the bishops voted to move ahead with the drafting of a document that would serve as “a formal statement on the meaning of the Eucharist in the life of the Church” in 2021, the USCCB later clarified that “the question of whether or not to deny any individual or groups Holy Communion was not on the ballot.” The body of bishops asserted that “The document being drafted is not meant to be disciplinary in nature, nor is it targeted at any one individual or class of persons.”

“It will include a section on the Church’s teaching on the responsibility of every Catholic, including bishops, to live in accordance with the truth, goodness and beauty of the Eucharist we celebrate,” they indicated. “There will be no national policy on withholding Communion from politicians.”

Cordileone’s appointment to the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura comes a year after President Donald Trump tapped him to join the advisory board of his Religious Liberty Commission. Cordileone was one of three Catholic bishops appointed to the advisory board, alongside Bishop Thomas Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois and Bishop Kevin Rhoades of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend in Indiana.