It’s a little worrying that former Speaker of the U.S. House
Nancy Pelosi appears to believe in ghosts, a sign, according to the great
Catholic convert G. K. Chesterton, of incipient atheism.
"When people stop believing in God,” Chesterton says, “they don't
believe in nothing — they believe in anything."
In a YouTube video,
Mrs. Pelosi describes a friendly visitation from Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth
Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Alice Paul, Sojourner Truth as she was visiting
the President George Bush White House (the haunted chair spiel begins at about 6:00) :
“He’s (Bush) saying something to the effect of we’re so glad to welcome you here, congratulations and I know you’ll probably have some different things to say about what is going on--which is correct. But, as he was saying this, he was fading and this other thing was happening to me.
“My chair was getting crowded in. I swear this happened, never happened before, it never happened since.
"My chair was getting crowded in and I couldn’t figure out what it was, it was like this (indicating with a gesture the crowded chair).
"And then I realized Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Alice Paul, Sojourner Truth, you name it, they were all in that chair, they were. More than I named and I could hear them say: 'At last we have a seat at the table.' And then they were gone."
Although the chair haunting happened only once, Mrs. Pelosi
has several times told the tale before different audiences.
“On June 6 of this year she told it during an event celebrating her 25 years of political service.
“Pelosi has also told the story when speaking at colleges, including at Trinity Washington University’s commencement on May 20, 2012. Pelosi's website contains a transcript of the tale as related in her 2005 commencement address at Goucher College in Baltimore.”
As one of its “core missions,’ Trinity notes on its site:
“Grounding in the mission of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and the Catholic tradition, welcoming persons of all faiths, in order to achieve the larger purposes of learning in the human search for meaning and fulfillment.”
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