Archbishop Cordileone responds to legislators, defends school policy

February 20, 2015

Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone has released an open letter, responding to eight California lawmakers who joined in criticizing his new policy requiring Catholic high-school teachers to show respect for Church teachings.

In his letter the archbishop challenges the legislators, asking them:

would you hire a campaign manager who advocates policies contrary to those that you stand for, and who shows disrespect toward you and the Democratic Party in general?

Archbishop Cordileone wrote that if the legislators agreed that they would hire someone of their own political views, “then we are actually in agreement on the principal point in debate here.” He continued, however:

Now let’s say that this campaign manager you hired, despite promises to the contrary, starts speaking critically of your party and favorably of your running opponent, and so you decide to fire the person. Would you have done this because you hate all Republicans outright, or because this individual, who happens to be a Republican, violated the trust given to you and acted contrary to your mission? If the latter, then we are again in agreement on this principle. My point is: I respect your right to employ or not employ whomever you wish to advance your mission. I simply ask the same respect from you.

The archbishop observed at the start of his letter that “it is important, before making a judgment on a situation or anyone’s action, that one first obtain as complete and accurate information as possible.” He encouraged the politicians to read a description of his new policy on the archdiocesan web site.

 

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Further information:

• Archbishop Cordileone's letter
• California lawmakers rap San Francisco archdiocesan policies for high-school teachers (CWN, 2/18)