Archbishop Cordileone Prevails Across the Board

(Washington) This past spring the rebellion against Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco was rehearsed and demanded his head. Now the Archbishop could prevail across the board.

The reason was a circular of 3 February, with which the archbishop demanded of the Catholic schools of his archdiocese, that the teaching programs align themselves according to the Catholic doctrine, including moral doctrine. In addition, he insisted upon  a clause in the employment contract,  that obliged the staff, the teachers, to live a way of life according to the teachings of the Church.

The Archbishop saw the need to proceed against the infiltration of gender ideology  in the Catholic schools and to resist  homosexualization. These were demands and supplements that actually seem obvious for a Catholic employer and a Catholic institution.

Public  campaign: Get Msgr Cordileone to Resign

Instead, there were violent attacks against the archbishop. The impetus for the public campaign came from the diocese itself. Soon, a heterodox alliance of gay organizations, anti-clerical media and liberal Catholics, were active ​​against the Archbishop with the declared goal of wanting to achieve the dismissal of Msgr. Cordileone by Rome. The impetus for the public campaign came from the diocese itself. Teachers imposed upon students and organized a protest march through the archdiocesan cathedral. From a self-proclaimed Catholic Community of San Francisco an appeal to Pope Francis was published in newspapers to depose Archbishop Cordileone and   to appoint a chief shepherd "of his choice" and  "our values". The campaign was raised  in the columns of the New York Times, which accused the Archbishop "homophobia" and "discrimination" against homosexuals.

After months of attacks, discussions and negotiations, the archbishop continued to now and reached what he wanted to achieve. That the teachers of the Catholic school of the Archdiocese undertake to educate the students in accordance with Catholic doctrine and to train and orient also their personal lifestyle accordingly.

Teaching staff voted for new employment contract

Last Wednesday, the teachers agreed after a seven-month battle to a new labor contract. The result was a 53 percent approval rating, just barely a majority, but that is a certain  decision. Archbishop Cordileone prevailed  on down the line.  As a concession for his part, he deleted  the phrase "serious sin" in the context of abortion and homosexual acts.

Msgr. Cordileone stressed after the conclusion of negotiations that "the school has the right to protect its mission and to hire teachers who are committed to this." It is crucial to clarify the Archbishop that morality is non-negotiable and "could be clarified that the teacher may not give a public testimony that contradicts the mission of the school."

Until recently, individual teachers tried to establish their  "rights" above the doctrine of the Church and the rights of their employer.  The fraction within the teacher's union was deplored by  San Francisco Magazine.  "The whole country is looking to this case. If the Archbishop is able to cleave a union or render them unusable and advance an agenda that is contrary to the rights of teachers as well as damage those of the students, it means that the same thing can be done anywhere."

President Obama threatened schools with cancellation of financing, who reject the homosexual agenda

Archbishop Cordileone has expressed the belief that the growing hostility   to Catholic doctrine, even in parts of the Church, would lead to the next step, which is to attempt to withdraw  the public funding of schools that do not submit to the gay agenda.  This was stated by Donald Verrilli, the United States Attorney General appointed by US President Barack Obama in 2011.   Verrilli  defended on Obama's behalf in the Supreme Court the forced legalization of "gay marriage" in the entire United States. His allusion to cancellation of all subsidies was seen as a threat on behalf of President Obama.

Archbishop Cordileone reiterated that he would do everything the same again, "I will not accept that the school should give up its right to hire and fire its employees for the benefit of its mission. Every organization has this right, and I see no reason why our school should give it up. "

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: Tempi

Trans: Tancred 

AMGD