Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is once again stirring controversy within the Catholic Church — this time for predicting the rise of female priests in the near future.
Speaking at a Washington, D.C., security conference on Wednesday, the Democrat from California fielded a question from Politico’s Jonathan Martin about whether women will be ordained in her children’s lifetimes. Pelosi responded with a smile: “… maybe my grandkids.”
The remark, delivered at the Munich Security Conference’s Washington summit, coincided with her praise for two papal contenders she believes would extend the progressive legacy of Pope Francis — one from the Philippines and one from Italy. She suggested either would be open to “big changes.”
Pelosi’s comments immediately drew attention, especially given her rocky history with Catholic leadership. In 2022, San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone banned her from receiving communion due to her outspoken pro-abortion stance. He cited Church law that prohibits communion for any public official who “supports procured abortion” with full knowledge of Catholic teaching, calling it “a manifestly grave sin.”
That ban didn’t stop Pelosi. She received communion from Pope Francis himself just a month later during a papal mass at the Vatican, a moment that shocked many and outraged traditional Catholics. The ban was quietly lifted later that year, but the ideological rift remains.
While Pope Francis has shown openness to limited roles for women in Church leadership — such as allowing women to vote in synods and appointing women to high-ranking Vatican posts — the Vatican has maintained a firm line against female priesthood, reiterating the Church’s long-standing position that only men can be ordained.
That hasn’t stopped left-leaning Catholics like Pelosi from pushing for doctrinal changes. Advocates for female ordination have become more vocal in recent years, particularly in Western countries. But the movement remains controversial and faces heavy resistance from traditional Catholic communities, especially outside Europe and North America.
Pelosi has frequently positioned herself at odds with her Church’s core teachings while still identifying publicly as a devout Catholic. Her advocacy for abortion rights, LGBTQ causes, and now female priesthood keeps her on a collision course with both Church leadership and more orthodox American Catholics.
As the Vatican prepares for the next papal transition following the death of Pope Francis, progressives like Pelosi are increasingly vocal in their hopes for a more radical reimagining of Catholic leadership. For many, her recent comments about female priests signal a desire to institutionalize feminism inside the Church hierarchy — even if it means breaking with two thousand years of tradition.
Pelosi’s prediction may not be welcome news in Rome, but she’s not backing down.
Whether the Vatican entertains the idea or reaffirms the status quo, one thing is clear: Pelosi’s brand of progressive Catholicism isn’t going anywhere.
