最近美国新政府 开始他们的外交之旅 总统欧巴马 访问加拿大 国务卿 希拉蕊 访问 日本 中国等 亚洲国家 作为美国接班顺位第三号的人物 Pelosi 访问梵蒂冈 她是天主教徒 教宗跟她谈保护生命 她赞美 教会领导在对抗饥饿 全球暖化 跟宗教自由所作的努力 ====== Visiting Pope, Pelosi Hears a Call to Protect Life http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/us/19pelosi.html?scp=2&sq=pope&st=cse By RACHEL DONADIO ROME —Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday told Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Roman Catholic who supports abortion rights, that Catholic politicians must protect “human life at all stages of its development.” Ms. Pelosi is the highest-ranking Democrat to meet with the pope since the election of President Obama, whose administration’s support of abortion rights worries many in the Vatican. In a statement, the Vatican said Benedict “briefly greeted” Ms. Pelosi and her entourage after his weekly public audience and “took the opportunity to speak of the requirements of the natural moral law and the church’s consistent teaching on the dignity of human life from conception to natural death.” The pope added that all Catholics, “especially legislators, jurists and those responsible for the common good of society,” should “work in cooperation with all men and women of good will in creating a just system of laws capable of protecting human life at all stages of its development.” As a high-ranking politician and a practicing Catholic who regularly attends Mass and receives communion, Ms. Pelosi has been at the center of several contentious debates between the Catholic Church and the American political establishment. Ever since the 2004 presidential campaign of Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, a Catholic, United States bishops have debated whether to deny communion to politicians who support abortion rights. Before the presidential election last fall, several American bishops criticized Ms. Pelosi for saying that church leaders had argued for centuries over whether life begins at conception. The American bishops also criticized Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., a Catholic who during the campaign said that “to impose” his “personal judgment” that life begins at conception seemed “inappropriate in a pluralistic society.” Most of the Vatican hierarchy is deeply concerned about the Obama administration’s support of abortion rights, which differs from the position taken by the Bush administration. In a statement issued by her office on Wednesday, Ms. Pelosi said it was “ with great joy” that she and her husband, Paul, had met Benedict. She said she had praised “the church’s leadership in fighting poverty, hunger, and global warming, as well as the Holy Father’s dedication to religious freedom and his upcoming trip and message to Israel.” Ms. Pelosi’ s statement did not mention the pope’s comments on abortion. Her office noted that she has previously said she wants to reduce abortions but that she remains in favor of abortion rights. In a move that provoked controversy, the pope last month revoked the excommunication of four bishops from a society founded in rejection of the liberalizing changes of the Second Vatican Council, including its commitment to religious freedom. Visiting Italy his week, Ms. Pelosi has also met with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and other Italian politicians. --

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