WILL SAN FRANCISCO ARCHBISHOP ELECT CORDILEONE LEAD THE OPPOSITION TO SAME SEX MARRIAGE WITH ENFORCEMENT OR DIPLOMACY ?............

Within twelve hours of the announcement of his appointment as the next Roman Catholic Archbishop of San Francisco last Friday, a story about his appointment to the Metropolitan Archbishopric of this Province, appeared online at NBCNews.com, which zeroed in on Archbishop-elect Salvatore Cordileone's strong opposition to same sex marriage as a large part of the reason he has been appointed to the San Francisco See.  The story stated he is the California Bishops' point man on opposition to Proposition 8, a 2008 California defining Marriage as only between one man, one woman, and outlawing the legal right to same sex marriages in the Golden State.  Today, a religious news blog I follow, "Clerical Whispers", published a blog column, quoting +Cordileone as did the NBC.News.com, as saying in the past, that same sex marriage is a plot by, "the evil one", and stating as Archbishop of San Francisco he will be surrounded by people in the Bay Area of Northern California, who strongly disagree with his position on the issue.  They quote what they call an expose' in the, "East Bay Express" in which it describes +Cordileone in these words, "As much as anyone, he led the drive for Prop. 8, the ballot initiative that banned same sex marriage", continuing that he, "thought up the proposition, raised money, and put a compassionate face, on the campaign".  And the blog column quotes Archbishop-elect Cordileone, in an interview with Stephanie Marti, of KQED in San Francisco as affirming his unwillingness to back down on the issue quoting him as saying, "It's going to be a big challenge of course, but this is what the Lord is calling me to do.  I hope I can respond honestly, generously, and effectively.  He calls every generation to serve Him in some particular way in terms of what's going on in the world.  That's what it is for me".  As the Metropolitan Bishop of the San Francisco Province, which stretches from Northern California, to Utah and Hawaii, +Cordileone will now play an even more pivotal role in representing and defending Church Teaching, while at the same time showing Pastoral Leadership as Chief Shepherd that will require the best of the diplomatic skills he can muster as an Ambassador for Jesus Christ; in one of the most difficult locations in this country and the world, to convince a substantial sum of the local populace to adhere to the position of the Catholic Church on the issues of homosexuality and same sex marriage.  What the new Archbishop will do about San Francisco Church ministries such as that of Most Holy Redeemer Parish in the Castro area of the City by the Bay, which welcomes all who come to them, irregardless of their orientation or background, is as yet unknown.  If he follows what he did in Oakland it may include requiring all participants involved in ministry to homosexuals to swear an oath of accepting Church doctrine on the matter, as today's Clerical Whispers blog column says he, "pressured", the directors of the Catholic Association of Lesbian and Gay Ministries. to do.  Discussion and dialogue with the Catholic-Christians and wider Community he will now lead and serve, with full fidelity to the moral teaching he must carry out; rather than force or pressure, will be the most productive path, especially at this period in time, when subjective circumstances not objective truths, are increasingly dominant in the choices and practices all people, Catholic-Christians included, choose to follow.  Maintaining the fidelity of those practicing the Faith, while regaining the the fallen away, former members,, and the alienated, living in opposition to Church teaching is essential, as Archbishop-elect Cordileone and all Bishops contend with erosion in their authority and credibility - inflicted by the sex abuse scandals the Church has had to deal with during the past decade.  As Stanford University Religious Studies Professor Thomas Sheehan, who is skeptical about what the new Archbishop will do, says, "I doubt it will affect how people practice", "people look less and less to the hierarchy".  That is a perception that does not need to become a concrete reality, if with sensitivity and compassionate interaction Archbishop-elect Salvatore Cordileone is a steadfast bridgebuilder and moral leader committed to dialogue and discernment on the part of all peoples, in witnessing to Living Faith in Jesus The Christ............Fr.  Troy