By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Writer During an official visit with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and members of her party today, Pope Benedict XVI took a moment to meet privately with the staunchly pro-abortion Speaker to remind her of her duty to create a just system of laws that will protect human life at all stages. "His Holiness took the opportunity to speak of the requirements of the natural moral law and the church's consistent teaching on the dignity of human life from conception to natural death," said the Vatican in a newly released statement about the meeting. The Pope reminded Pelosi that natural law and the church's own teaching require "all Catholics, and especially legislators, jurists and those responsible for the common good of society, to work in cooperation with all men and women of good will in creating a just system of laws capable of protecting human life at all stages of its development," the statement said. Pelosi was making an official visit to Italy to meet members of the U.S. military stationed in the country and to discuss common security concerns with Italian government leaders. Her 15-minute meeting with Pope Benedict took place in a small room in the Vatican audience hall after the pope's weekly general audience. In a statement released by her staff, Pelosi said, "In our conversation, I had the opportunity to praise the church's leadership in fighting poverty, hunger and global warming, as well as the Holy Father's dedication to religious freedom and his upcoming trip and message to Israel." Pelosi added: "I was proud to show His Holiness a photograph" from a papal audience she had with her parents in the 1950s, "as well as a recent picture of our children and grandchildren." Pelosi's husband, Paul, accompanied her to the meeting with the pope. While consistently claiming that her Catholicism is an important part of her life, the Speaker has made no secret of her pro-abortion views, which have earned her a 100 percent rating from the abortion industry. Her voting record includes a vote against the partial birth abortion ban and laws restricting the transport of minors across state lines to obtain abortions. She also opposed legislation that would make it a crime to harm an unborn child during the commission of another crime. In addition, Pelosi has vigorously supported legislation in support of cloning, embryonic stem cell research and federal funding of the distribution of birth control through family planning programs both here and abroad.   During the 2009 March for Life in Washington, the unrepentant Pelosi issued a statement saying: "I will work with President Obama, as I have worked throughout my entire career, to ensure a woman's right to choose.” © All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly/Women of Grace. http://www.womenofgrace.com