They Met... "It Went Well"... and Nothing's Changed

As yesterday's unphotographed meeting between the Pope of Rome and Speaker of the House recalled Nancy Pelosi's September invite to a "conversation" with her ordinary, it's worth noting that Our Sunday Visitor's "Daily Take" has confirmed that a session between the Speaker and Archbishop George Niederauer of San Francisco took place on 8 February.

The meeting was "so private," the paper's blog notes, "that the archbishop's own press spokesman... seemed unaware of it"... and subsequently cited a "mixup in internal communications."

A Pelosi spokesman told OSV that the Speaker "is not changing her position on abortion" and continues to attend Sunday Mass and receive the Eucharist either at her home parish in the City by the Bay or on the road.

On a related note, another prominent pro-choice Catholic -- Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius -- has re-emerged as President Obama's top choice for Secretary for Health and Human Services following the collapse of former Sen. Tom Daschle's nomination to the post.

A lead contender for the HHS slot before Daschle's selection, the Kansas chief was publicly asked to refrain from the Eucharist by the state's top prelate, Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, after her April veto of a bill that would've strengthened restrictions on late-term abortions.

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