Pelosi Urges Catholic Church to Play 'Major Role' in Immigration Overhaul
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told Catholic leaders Thursday that she wants them to "play a very major role" in getting their parishioners to support immigration overhaul.
"The cardinals, the archbishops, the bishops that come to me ... say, 'We want you to pass immigration reform,' and I said, I want you to speak about it from the pulpit," Pelosi, who is Catholic, said at the Nation's Catholic Community conference sponsored by Trinity Washington University and the National Catholic Reporter.
"Some (who) oppose immigration reform are sitting in those pews, and you have to tell them that this is a manifestation of our living the gospels," she said.
When FoxNews.com sought clarification from Pelosi's office, her spokesman issued this statement: "From health care to energy security to immigration reform, the speaker believes the faith community has played and will continue to play a critical role in our national debate."
After Arizona passed a controversial immigration law, Congress is debating broad new federal policies that could put millions of illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship. But lawmakers on both sides admit that passing a bill during this election year is highly unlikely.
The Arizona law, which is slated to take effect July 29, makes it a state crime to be in the U.S. illegally. And it directs police to question people about their immigration status when they may be in the country illegally and when they already are the subject of police contact.