Appearing on “Meet the Press” last month, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi first described herself as “an ardent, practicing Catholic.” Then she went on to misrepresent Church teaching, arguing that over the centuries even the greatest theologians—she cited St. Augustine in particular—had been unable to decide when human life begins. “The point is,” the Speaker asserted, “it shouldn’t have any impact on a woman’s right to choose.”

That was on a Sunday. On Tuesday, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement of several paragraphs correcting Pelosi. One American bishop had already beat them to it: Charles J. Chaput, the Archbishop of Denver, where Democrats were preparing to hold their convention, had issued a statement on Monday. A page-and-a-half of closely reasoned argument, the statement, entitled “On the Separation of Sense and State,” asserted that

ardent, practicing Catholics will quickly learn from the historical record that from apostolic times, the Christian tradition overwhelmingly held that abortion was grievously evil. ardent, practicing Catholics will quickly learn from the historical record that from apostolic times, the Christian tradition overwhelmingly held that abortion was grievously evil.

Although Speaker Pelosi is “a gifted public servant of strong convictions and many professional skills,” the Archbishop added, “knowledge of Catholic history and teaching does not seem to be one of them.”

This week on Uncommon Knowledge, the author of that statement–and of an engrossing and provocative new book, Render Unto Caesar: Serving the Nation by Living Our Catholic Beliefs in Political Life–the Most Rev. Charles J. Chaput, Archbishop of Denver.

Today the Archbishop Chaput argues that Catholic politicians, including Speaker Pelosi, have a far higher duty to their Catholic beliefs than they seem to suppose. Click here.