S.F.'s new archbishop takes over

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 10/4/12 | Stephanie M. Lee

[SmithL]

More than 2,000 worshipers filled St. Mary's Cathedral on Thursday to see Salvatore Cordileone assume his role as Roman Catholic archbishop of San Francisco, as several dozen protesters angered by his leading role in the fight against same-sex marriage demonstrated outside.

"I know in my own life God has always had a way of putting me in my place - little and sometimes big ways of reminding me of my need to depend upon him and to attend to the work of my own rebuilding from within," Cordileone told the congregation. "I would say, though, that with this latest episode in my life, God has outdone himself."

Cordileone, 56, replaces retiring Archbishop George Niederauer. The former Oakland Diocese bishop assumed his new role on the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, for whom San Francisco is named.

While the mood inside the cathedral was joyous, the crowd outside was split between supporters and protesters angered by the elevation of a church conservative to the archbishop position.

Cordileone was one of the leaders in 2008's Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage statewide. The Catholic Church is publicly opposed to all homosexual activity, but local archbishops have reached accommodations with gays and lesbians on some issues.

[Wings-n-Wind]

Prayers up for this courageous man of God...

[QBFimi]

Boy, is he in the lion’s den. May G0d give him Daniel’s courage.

[Unam Sanctam]

May God protect him and facilitate his proclamation of the Gospel (including as regards moral issues) for the salvation of souls in that den of iniquity. Daniel in the lion’s den indeed.

[MDLION]

Pray for him, he’ll have to be heroic. He must be humble, for in addition to the insults he’ll get for defending marriage, he’ll get a ton of nastiness and insults for his alcohol incident.

[thecodont]

I’ve been praying for this guy!

[johniegrad]

Everybody can make mistakes but an archbishop gets a DUI? Geesh!

[sayuncledave]

Easy there, Tex. As you said, everybody can make mistakes. And he’s moved to, in some rather large ways, hostile territory. More was made out of it than there was. If anything, pray for him, and for his protection from the more radical homosexual folk out there.

To give an idea of the good archbishop, the following is a link to video of a solemn pontifical Mass in the Extraordinary Form, from Rorate, a few days ago. Absolutely awesome.

http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2012/09/napa-institute-pontifical-mass-by.html

[SuziQ]

While the mood inside the cathedral was joyous, the crowd outside was split between supporters and protesters angered by the elevation of a church conservative to the archbishop position.

I'm always amused when folks who don't accept what the Church clearly teaches are offended when a priest or Bishop who DOES accept it, and teaches it, without apology, is put in a position of authority.

They would never admit it, and some probably don't even realize it, but I believe they are fighting against their guilty consciences more than the Church.