Oakland
Bishop Salvatore Cordileone, one of the leading architects in the
campaign to pass the discriminatory Proposition 8 in California, has
been named the new Archbishop of San Francisco by Pope Benedict XVI.
Cordileone played a central role in founding and executing the Protect
Marriage campaign, and under his influence, Catholic organizations in
California played a leading role in financing the Prop 8 campaign. His
partners included the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) and Focus
on the Family. In fact, it was Cordileone who personally phoned NOM
co-founder Maggie Gallagher and asked her to get NOM involved in the
Prop 8 fight.
Now, as Archbishop of San Francisco, Cordileone will oversee more than
400,000 Catholic parishioners across 90 parishes. As a metropolitan
archbishop, Cordileone will have bishops in dioceses including Las
Vegas, Salt Lake City, Honolulu, Sacramento, and Reno under his
supervision.
“Bishop Cordileone has proven himself to be an anti-gay activist who
encourages and promotes discrimination against LGBT people,” said HRC
President Chad Griffin. “Catholic teaching calls on us to love our
neighbors and to treat others with the same respect we wish for
ourselves.
Unfortunately, Bishop Cordileone’s crusade against LGBT
people indicates he doesn’t take these particular teachings to heart.
While LGBT Catholics and their allies have worked relentlessly to create
welcoming environments, the appointment of Bishop Cordileone sends a
chilling message that, in the eyes of the hierarchy, same-sex
relationships are not worthy of equal dignity and respect.”
Bishop Cordileone’s extremist views are out of step with the majority of Catholics. A May 2012 Gallup poll found support for marriage equality among Catholic at more than 50 percent, as did a recent poll from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.
Cordileone is set to be ordained as San Francisco’s new archbishop in
early October. That same month, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to
decide whether it will hear arguments on Prop 8.