A recent letter signed by several prominent “Catholics” claimed that current Archbishop of San Francisco Salvatore Cordileone “sets a pastoral tone that is closer to persecution than evangelization.” As someone who has been a direct beneficiary of the Archbishop’s kindness and sincerity, I will testify that what these people are claiming is absolutely untrue. First of all, with regards to those afflicted with same-sex attraction, the Archbishop is doing precisely what his vocation as a priest and position as a Shepherd of souls demands of him: a full adherence to the Truth of Jesus Christ as handed down through His Church; and with regards to homosexuality, the Church is clear; also, concerning the obligation of prelates regarding this matter: “We encourage the Bishops, then, to provide pastoral care in full accord with the teaching of the Church for homosexual persons of their dioceses. No authentic pastoral programme will include organizations in which homosexual persons associate with each other without clearly stating that homosexual activity is immoral. A truly pastoral approach will appreciate the need for homosexual persons to avoid the near occasions of sin.”*
How the Archbishop has fulfilled this God-given mandate is by promoting and fostering the Courage Apostolate in the Archdiocese. For example, when I first started attending Courage, (in 1999) we met in a sub-basement windowless room of the Cathedral; I was thankful it was there, but it often felt like a meeting in the catacombs. There were two lone priests who served as our chaplains: good and faithful men of stout heart – outsiders in a city that thought the reformation of gay men a useless folly. Now, Courage meets in a well-known parish and there are several priests and a brave deacon assigned to take charge of these precious lives. Most importantly, the Archbishop allowed for an important presentation promoting the Courage apostolate to take place at St. Patrick’s Seminary, the Archdiocesan campus for future priests. One of the priest presenters, an original Courage chaplain, said that only a few years ago he could not have imagined something like this taking place at the Seminary.
Lastly, the Archbishop is surly fulfilling his role as leader and as father to the faithful: for instance, is a good dad thoroughly indulgent, completely detached, and merely a facilitator – allowing his children to do whatever they want, serving solely as a ceremonial figurehead. Sadly, for many modern-thinkers this is the attitude and the expectation: epitomized by the number of parents who do not baptize their infant children; instead, making the bizarre claim that as adults – their kids will make up their own mind; yet, this has only bred indifference and rampant secularism – a Godless generation. Well, that sort of father is not a Bishop; or a priest; as, they must take an active interest in precisely what the faithful believe and therefore what they promote oftentimes in their positions of authority. If it does not adhere to Catholic teachings, then, those in error should have points of confusion brought to their attention. Miraculously, in my case, the descending tragedy of the gay lifestyle made the necessity for change, and a swift acquiescence to Catholic dogma, a matter of life and death. “The Catechism” became my route to the knowledge of salvation. But, I was open – as the devastation brought about by my errors caused me to sink into desolation. Perhaps, those that signed the letter against the Archbishop, thinking they know better – lack humility; they lack that utter uncontrollable desire for the Truth, and for the immediate peace it brings into your life. As caretakers of those cherished words set down, the Truth of God in The Catechism: bishops and priests need to be upholders of the Divine Law – even in the midst of a world gone berserk.