Cordileone, a native Californian who served as bishop of Oakland for the last three-and-a-half years, is known to be a fierce defender of the Catholic Church's positions on homosexuality in general and same-sex marriage in particular.

The report said the prelate's stance on the issue has endeared him to Catholic conservatives but worried more liberal Catholics and other faith communities that welcome gay, lesbian and transgender members.

Cordileone was one of those behind California's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage in 2008. He is also head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' subcommittee charged with opposing efforts to legalize gay unions.

The AP report said Pope Benedict XVI's selection of Cordileone on July 27 to replace retiring Archbishop George Niederauer also has raised eyebrows outside of California.

"The most salient thing I can tell you is that the American bishops and archbishops I spoke with in the wake of the appointment, not seen widely as a progressive group, were stunned," said Rocco Palmo, a respected church commentator and blogger based in Philadelphia.

He said the appointment was seen as a "provocative gesture by Rome" to name a "combative" traditionalist to oversee the nation's gay capital.

Cordileone, meanwhile, said he wants to be seen as more than a one-issue man and looks forward to getting to know the 91 parishes in the archdiocese.

Sources

• AP/ABC News
• Fox News
• The Bay Area Reporter
• Image: San Francisco Chronicle

Reports dubbed the pope's appointment of Cordileone as the "Bombshell by the Bay."

The incoming prelate of the city that thrust same-sex marriage onto the national stage has decried the "contraceptive mentality" of modern life.

Cordileone, a 56-year-old son of a commercial fisherman, is known to his supporters as a charming and brilliant defender of the faith.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the prelate is fluent in Spanish and Italian, and has been known to sing vintage TV theme songs in Latin and is a deep believer in a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

Father Thomas J. Reese, a senior fellow at Georgetown University's Woodstock Theological Center, was quoted in the Times report that Cordileone's appointment "re-emphasizes the Vatican's concern, and the U.S. bishops' concern, about gay marriage."

"Even in a city like San Francisco, they're willing to appoint someone who … has a high state and national profile on this issue," he said.

Cordileone used to be bishop of Oakland diocese for three years where he said gays and lesbians who are in sexual relationships of any kind should not receive the sacrament of Holy Communion.

"If we misuse the gift of sexuality, we're going to suffer the consequences," he said, "and I firmly believe we are suffering the consequences."

Source

• Los Angeles Times
• Newser.Com
• US Catholic
• Image: Diocese of San Diego/LA Times