Prominent Catholics with Marin Ties Urge Pope to Replace Archbishop Cordileone

By Janis Mara
Marin Independent Journal
April 16, 2015

http://www.marinij.com/general-news/20150416/prominent-catholics-with-marin-ties-urge-pope-to-replace-archbishop-cordileone

Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, center, and Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore attend a conference in Baltimore in 2012. AP Photo — Patrick Semansky

Prominent Catholics with Marin ties who signed a full-page Chronicle ad running Thursday asking Pope Francis to replace San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone said they stand behind their decision.

The open letter cited morality clauses Cordileone proposed for a teacher handbook requiring teachers to “affirm and believe” that sex outside marriage and masturbation are “gravely evil,” among other actions.

The open letter stated that the Archdiocese of San Francisco is threatened by Cordileone’s “single-issue agenda and cannot survive, let alone thrive and grow under his supervision” and that San Francisco deserves a leader focused on service and diversity.

“We are really disappointed that the archbishop is extremely conservative and not flexible to meet the needs of the Catholic population he is serving,” said Suzanne Swift of Tiburon, a former member of the board of directors of Catholic Charities CYO of the Archdiocese. She and her husband Brian, also a former board member, were two more than 100 people who signed the letter.

“There are many ways we can interpret church doctrine, and he seems to be taking it to an extreme and not meeting the needs of the folks he has been asked to serve,” Swift said.

She said she had just received an email from “some of my nun friends back east,” who thanked her for taking the initiative and expressed hopes for a positive outcome.

The flap began a few months ago when Cordileone unveiled the move to require faculty at the four Catholic high schools owned by the diocese to “arrange and conduct their lives so as not to visibly contradict, undermine or deny these truths,” as the document put it.

Students at the four parochial schools, including Marin Catholic High School, held vigils in March and spoke out in support of teachers and against the so-called “morality clauses” proposed for the faculty handbook.

The speak-out was one of a cascade of protests against the clauses, including a resolution unanimously passed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in March urging Cordileone to respect teachers’ rights.

“I’ve been troubled by the handbook that the archbishop is trying to impose on the students and teachers of our Catholic high schools. Primarily I’m concerned about the quality of our schools being maintained,” said Clint Reilly, the former chairman of the board of Catholic Charities CYO and chairman and president of Clinton Reilly Holdings.

Reilly’s comment jibed with a statement made in March by Gina Welisch, a 17-year-old Marin Catholic senior who was one of the organizers of the March speakout.

“My teachers have supported me for the last four years. So now when the archbishop’s actions are creating an environment of intolerance, discrimination and fear for the teachers and community, it is my duty to support my teachers,” Welisch said in March.

“I’ve been troubled by what I’m hearing from the priests that Cordileone is not listening to their advice and their opinions on key issues in the archdiocese,” Reilly said.

“Our archdiocese is doing an incredible job of educating not just Catholic kids but kids from low-income families whose income is being subsidized. Many non-Catholics send their kids to Catholic schools. We’re concerned that some of the actions of the archbishop are undermining the schools by driving away good teachers,” Reilly said.

Reilly said he had received emails in support of his action from a number of people “and I think that’s generally true for all the people who have signed the ad.”

The archdiocese issued a statement in response to the letter.

“The advertisement is a misrepresentation of Catholic teaching, a misrepresentation of the nature of the teacher contract, and a misrepresentation of the spirit of the Archbishop,” said the statement, which was posted on the archdiocese website

“The greatest misrepresentation of all is that the signers presume to speak for ‘the Catholic Community of San Francisco.’ They do not. The Archdiocese has met with a broad range of stakeholders. Together, we have engaged in a constructive dialogue on all of the issues raised in this ad. We welcome the chance to continue that discussion,” the statement concluded.

Reached by telephone Thursday, archdiocese spokesman Larry Kamer said he had nothing to add beyond the statement.