Cordileone, the Lion Hearted Archbishop of San Francisco, Teaches Us to Defend the Truth

1/30/2013

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primarily in theology; marriage is in nature. Theology builds on the natural institution, giving us a deeper mystical and supernatural sense of its meaning."

"I admit that I didn't step up to the plate when Channel 4 invited me on live television to debate gay marriage, because I didn't want to become a hate figure. I feared my career would suffer and I wouldn't be able to pay my rent. The archbishop sighs and responds: "You say that you can't debate it without suffering for your beliefs, so who is being discriminated against? Who is being intolerant? It is the secular orthodoxy that allows no dissent and will punish those who do."

"When I concede that I feel like a coward for passing up the opportunity to argue the case for marriage on television, Archbishop Cordileone says: "It's a lot easier for us priests to speak out. Fellow clergy are not going to marginalise us. And we're not going to be passed up for a promotion or lose our jobs!"

"While speaking out may be less daunting for priests, he encourages lay people to embrace the challenge, which for us in Britain means actively opposing the forthcoming gay marriage Bill. Archbishop Cordileone urges us to see it as a way of winning grace.

"Fighting for marriage is our way of loving God, and the struggle is the particular gift that God has given our generation. This is our particular trial, and by overcoming it we may achieve spiritual greatness. It will entail suffering if we are to oppose gay marriage, something which poses such destruction to the understanding of natural marriage, which is a child-oriented institution."

"Archbishop Cordileone cautions against over-using the term "gay marriage", advising that it should be used "only sparingly" because it is a natural impossibility and if we keep talking about gay marriage we might fool ourselves into thinking it is an authentic reality, which only needs government approval to make it legitimate. He compares it with another impossibility: "Legislating for the right for people of the same sex to marry is like legalizing male breastfeeding."

"One could get the impression that Archbishop Cordileone is an uncompromisingly serious person. It's true that his face can be set in deep contemplation and his compelling blue eyes can seem still and sombre, but his face lights up when he laughs and his eyes shine with mirth. When I lose my train of thought, mess up a question and excuse myself as not being Mensa but Densa, he curls up in a spontaneous fit of boyish giggles. He finds the idea of going on Twitter hilarious, and says: "I don't know where I'll find the time for a Twitter account. But if I can find a way to go on Twitter, then I will!"

"Even if opponents do not agree with his stance on same-sex marriage, he commands respect for his persistence in arguing for marriage between a man and a woman, in the face of being called homophobic and charged with the erroneous idea that he discriminates against gay people and lesbians. All the same, it must be unnerving at times to be on the receiving end of such hostility in San Francisco. But he doesn't let it get to him. "All our detractors can do is call us names," he says. He throws his hands up in the air, and adds: "Big deal if they shout at us or throw insults!"

"When I say that people in Britain who oppose gay marriage have been slammed as "bigots", by people who won't allow any opinion but their own, he says: "How ironic!"

"It's not that Archbishop Cordileone is so indifferent and hard that he does not feel the sting of slurs. Rather, he knows that winning the battle is more important, even if it will mean personal suffering. Courage is writ large on his determined face, and he is living up to the demands of his Italian surname, which means "heart of a lion".

- - -

Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, gay marriage, proposition 8, defending the faith, apologetics, right to life, San Francisco, Deacon Keith Fournier

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1 - 9 of 9 Comments

Robert Hill
2 months ago
Dear Mr. Somerton, I agree with you entirely. Gay is as gay does. In fact, I'm not sure I'm as comfortable with Archbishop Cordileone's quote, or that of Cardinal George ("...like repealing the law of gravity..."). Not everyone will see the two as equally ludicrous, insofar as the latter is clearly not possible, whereas the impossibility of the former will *not* be clear to those whose consciences have been formed by Hollywood and the libertine/pagan/ atheist alliance. Practically speaking, redefining breastfeeding or gravity is harder to do than redefining marriage, because these things are fairly clear cut, whereas some mistakenly think marriage is merely a social construct, not tied to the good of raising children—a contractual arrangement rather than a foundational social unit, or, dare we say, *holy* matrimony.

The law is a teacher, and when the government "legalizes" things, society (or at least Caesar) tells the innocent that they are okay, i.e., morally acceptable. (We also imply that morals are relative.)

So I'd say legalizing gay marriage is more like legalizing hard drugs (human consumption of what is essentially poison). And if law aides and abets evil, then we are "slouching toward Gomorrah," to quote the late Judge Robert Bork.
ac
3 months ago
he makes it all look so easy - I will be praying for him and more like him to be in the news!
kathy
3 months ago
It's sad to think that someone may lose his or her livelihood, because they take a position that goes against public thinking. There is such a fine line between tolerance and acceptance, and yes, I agree that too much tolerance can lead to acceptance, without even realizing that one has done so. We as Christians will be faced one day with choosing, end times tell us so. I do not want to have to explain to God, why I chose man and not God. Who are we trying to please? I will always chose God.
abey
3 months ago
Let the Catholic Church (withholding the Complacent ones) be known in the future, to its resistance against gay agendas, the very antithesis to the family order totally contrary to the words "Be fruitful & Multiply", as the Church that loved God by keeping His word.
Clinton C Somerton
3 months ago
Thanks be to God for the courage of Archbishop Cordileone! Let us all pray for this servant of God to remain strong in love and truth.

One note, however: The person interviewing the Archbishop made reference "gay people and lesbians". This is a mistake. As the Archbishop himself points out, there is no such thing as homosexual "marriage", and we should avoid using that incorrect and deceptive phrase. In the same way, Christians (and all people who believe in authentic human sexuality) should reject labelling people "gay" or "lesbian", and instead recognize that homosexual behaviour is not "who they are", but "what they do". Christ came to set captives free and to make all things new. That will never happen if we cling to and use sexual labels which effectively say to God "No, you can't heal me." It becomes our affirmation of a lie.
Tom McGuire
3 months ago
All who are callee detractors do not undermine western civilization. Some of us see major shifts that will bring all humanity into a world civilization that requires new understanding and ways of talking about eternal truths. If all who disagree with the Archbishop are called detractors how does this encourage needed dialogue? Is not the primary responsibility of an Archbishop to promote and encourage ecclesia communion?
Deacon Dana
3 months ago
Wonderful article, Deacon. How blessed we are that Pope Benedict XVI will leave behind such good and faithful shepherds as the Archbishop. It is these men who will lead the Church through the true renewal that will come.
David
3 months ago
Thank God for lionhearted bishops!
Ann Couper-Johnston
3 months ago
May that other lion, the Lion of Munster, Clemens von Galen, who as Bishop of Munster stood up to Hitler (and even the Nazis didn't dare touch him; they feared an uprising if they did) pray for this one, and for all of us who are in the day of battle.

St Michael the Archangel, pray for us!

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