NEW YORK – Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone is calling for prayers for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her husband Paul Pelosi, who was assaulted at the couple’s San Francisco home early on Oct. 28.
Paul, 82, was taken to the hospital with injuries following the attack and is expected to make a full recovery, a spokesperson for Nancy said in a statement. The House Speaker was not in San Francisco at the time of the attack, the spokesperson said.
“Please join me in praying for the swift recovery of Paul Pelosi and comfort for his wife and family too,” Cordileone, the archbishop of San Francisco, said in a statement. “Mother Mary hear our prayer.”
Cordileone and the House Speaker have had a long-running debate over her pro-abortion stance. Back in May, Cordileone barred Nancy, a Catholic, from receiving communion in the archdiocese.
Later in the day, Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, echoed Cordileone’s call for prayers.
“I am deeply grieved over this violence, which should have no place in our communities, our political process, or our great nation,” Gomez said. “May Our Lady of Perpetual Help intercede for us, provide healing, and guide us to paths of peace.”
San Francisco Police Chief William Scott said at an Oct. 28 news conference that San Francisco police officers were dispatched to the Pelosi home at approximately 2:27 a.m. for a well-being check. When officers arrived, they observed Paul and the suspect both holding a hammer, before “the suspect pulled the hammer away from Mr. Pelosi and violently assaulted him with it.”
The officers then tackled the suspect, identified as 42-year-old David DePape. He too was transported to a local hospital for treatment. Scott said the motive for the attack is unclear.
The investigation into the attack is ongoing and is being led by the San Francisco Police Department special investigations division, in conjunction with the FBI, U.S. Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Capitol Police, and the San Francisco County district attorney, Scott said.
DePape will be booked at the San Francisco County Jail on the following charges. Attempted homicide, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, burglary, and “several other additional felonies,” he added.
Various reports on the attack say that DePape was targeting the House Speaker.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that President Joe Biden has been in contact with Nancy following the attack.
“The president is praying for Paul Pelosi and for Speaker Pelosi’s whole family,” Jean-Pierre said on Oct. 28. “This morning he called Speaker Pelosi to express his support after this horrible attack. He is also very glad that a full recovery is expected. The president continues to condemn all violence, and asks that the family’s desire for privacy be respected.”
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