S.F. Archbishop Cordileone wields controversy to promote agenda
Recently, he’s stirred up a firestorm of controversy, including a vigil on Ash Wednesday — to protest what local Catholic school teachers say are “morality clauses” he wants to include in their handbook and labor contract.
[...] a priest in the archdiocese, the Rev. Joseph Illo, pastor at Star of the Sea Church in the Richmond District, decreed three weeks ago that he would only allow boys to serve as altar servers, rather than both boys and girls, as has been the practice.
Earlier, in December, the school handed out a bizarre — and some parents say inappropriate — pamphlet that asked elementary school students about their sexual practices.
Cordileone, who declined an interview request, has perfected the long, complicated, eye-glazing response that basically boils down to “What’s the big fuss?”
While he pretends to take the high road, he also told the Catholic Herald in 2013 that Catholics should only use the term “gay marriage” sparingly because “we might fool ourselves into thinking it is an authentic reality.”
Legislating for the right for the people of the same sex to marry,” he said, “is like legalizing male breastfeeding.
The opinions expressed in Illo’s media interviews and personal blog make it clear he’s out to incite.
[...] earlier this month he had to write a “statement of apology” to the parents, children and faculty of Star of the Sea School after saying the anger and upset over the altar boy controversy was creating “a necessary purging.”
Early on, some gullible reporters — raises hand sheepishly — took the bait and railed against the charade.
[...] we realized that this was the idea — rile up the media, get lots of press attention and play to the red-meat true believers.
[...] it looks like they saw that as a positive.
Cordileone is using San Francisco as a backdrop to play to his real constituency — extremely conservative Catholics who are shocked by changing values in the country.