We write as Catholics and other concerned Christians to express our sadness and outrage that you have barred House Speaker Nancy Pelosi from receiving Communion in the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

A holy sacrament should never be weaponized for political ends or to fight the culture wars. Your reckless action defies the pastoral guidance of Pope Francis and will only further divide our churches at a time of intense partisan polarization. At the Lord’s table, we are not Democrats or Republicans. We are all sinners in need of God's healing and grace. As Pope Francis reminds us, the Eucharist is "not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak."

We are also concerned that your selective policing of the Eucharist on a single issue sends a troubling message that the church is taking political sides. Prominent Republican elected offficials who are Catholic have repeatedly and publicly defied church teaching on issues like the death penalty without the threat of being denied Communion. To be clear, we believe using a sacrament as a political cudgel is wrong, whether it's directed at Democrats or Republicans. But church leaders leave themselves open to charges of partisanship and hypocrisy when Communion bans are deployed in this way.

Please follow Pope Francis, who has said: "I have never denied Communion to anyone." We ask you to also heed the pastoral guidance of Cardinal Luis Ladaria of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, who warned in a letter to the U.S. bishops' conference last year that a policy of denying Catholic politicians Communion would further divide the church and send, in the cardinal’s word, a "misleading" message that abortion is the only urgent issue addressed by Catholic teaching.

We urge you to sincerely and prayerfully reconsider your action, and to allow Speaker Pelosi to receive Communion within the Archdiocese of San Francisco.