San Francisco Catholic school teachers protest revised morality clauses offered by archbishop

CBS San Francisco
May 20 2015


After months of heated debate, San Francisco Catholic school teachers said they are no closer to a contract deal with the archdiocese.

Teachers from four high schools operated by the Archdiocese of San Francisco rallied Wednesday afternoon in front of the Chancery office, calling for a rejection of Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone’s latest revision of the teacher handbook.

The proposed handbook requires strict adherence to the church’s teachings on things such as homosexuality and contraception, both in and out of the classroom.

Protestors said the latest draft of the handbook is a little softer in tone, but the substance is the essentially the same. “So the good news here is that there have been some changes to this document, so it seems as if the archbishop is willing to listen, to a certain degree,” said teacher Sal Curcio. “We wish he would listen more, and we wish he would really communicate with us more.” Negotiations between the archdiocese and the union are ongoing.

In a statement Wednesday the archdiocese said, “both sides are hopeful they are getting closer to resolving the few remaining bargaining issues on which there is disagreement.”

Priests are bucking Catholic church leadership to support same-sex marriage in Ireland

Sarah Kaplan
Washington Post
May 20, 2015

For the Rev. Pádraig Standún, a Catholic priest in western Ireland, voting “yes” is a matter of what’s right. To another Irish priest, the Rev. Iggy O’Donovan, it’s about creating an inclusive state.

To the Rev. Martin Dolan, Ireland’s upcoming referendum on same-sex marriage is deeply personal.

“I’m gay myself,” he announced to his Dublin congregation in January. It was a surprise ending to Dolan’s homily, in which he urged his congregation to vote “yes” in the referendum. But his parishioners took it in stride — they gave him a standing ovation, according to the Belfast Telegraph.

As the Friday referendum approaches, Ireland seems poised to become the first nation to legalize same-sex marriage by popular vote. The Catholic Church itself opposes the measure.

In at least a few cases, though, Irish Catholics may vote “yes” not in spite of their priests, but alongside them. Standún, O’Donovan and Dolan are among a group of priests who have bucked Church leadership to voice support for the amendment. Speaking to BuzzFeed, The Rev. Tony Flannery, founder of the reform-minded Irish Association of Catholic Priests, estimated that 25 percent of the country’s clergy would vote”yes.”

Recent polls show a significant majority of voters favor a constitutional amendment to expand the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples — one of many signs in recent decades of the greatly diminished influence of the Catholic Church, which also unsuccessfully opposed a 1995 referendum in which Ireland legalized divorce.

Standún, a parish priest from Carna, in western Ireland, has expressed controversial opinions — at least, controversial for a member of the clergy. In 2013 he praised Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny for passing legislation that legalized abortion under certain circumstances, announcing that public representatives should reflect the views of their constituents, not their church, according to the Irish Times.

Standún made much the same argument in a column supporting the same-sex marriage referendum published earlier this month — only this time, he directed his plea toward Church leaders.

“… [N]ow is the right time. The people of God have moved on. Leaders please follow,” he urged in the Connaught Telegraph, the newspaper of Ireland’s western Connaught province.

The priest went on to say that he’ll be voting for the amendment “not to cock a snoot at the leadership of my church, or to jump on a popular bandwagon, but because I think it is the right thing to do.”

In a phone interview with The Washington Post, Standún said he had no qualms going public with his vote, and he doesn’t expect to face any repercussions from Church leadership, who have for the most part expressed their opposition to the amendment in measured terms.

“They haven’t really said anything besides ‘think carefully,’ which I did,” Standún said. “It’s a free country and it’s a political choice.”

O’Donovan, an Augustinian priest based in Limerick, argued that a “yes” vote is about separating the church from the state.

“We have inherited a tradition which has associated religion and politics in a way that has excluded some of our fellow citizens,” he wrote in a op-ed for the Irish Times, referring to Ireland’s long tradition of viewing politics and religion as virtually inseparable.

“When we become legislators, though, as we do when we vote in referendums, we legislate for ALL our fellow citizens,” he continued. “We do not vote as members of this or that church or faith.”

Church leaders in Ireland have quietly but firmly opposed same-sex marriage legalization. In recent weeks, several bishops have issued statements on the issue, using muted language and phrases like “carefully consider” and “the natural order.” Archbishop Kieran O’Reilly of Cashel and Emly in mid-western Ireland, wrote in a pastoral statement that marriage should be understood as “the union between a man and a woman,” but added “There is no desire, on my part or that of the bishops, to alienate or denigrate any person or group of persons in our society. We uphold the dignity of each person.”

As The Post’s Griff Witte reported last week, the Catholic Church is practically the only major Irish institution opposing the referendum. The government supports it, as do major media organizations, unions and business groups. Even elderly church-going ladies have said they’re voting “yes.”

“I’m just going to vote for gay people because I have nothing against them. I can’t understand why anybody is against it; they’ve done no harm to anyone,” 83-year-old Rita O’Connor told the Irish Times on her way out of Sunday morning Mass in Dublin this month. “I think it’s a stupid carry-on the way the Church is going on at the moment, ridiculous.”

Deepening disaffection with the Church could explain why bishops have been “circumspect,” in the words of politics professor David Farrell, about urging a “no” vote.

The number of Irish citizens who identify as Catholic has slowly declined to around 84 percent, according to Reuters. And the number of people who actively practice is even lower — in a 2011 address, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin estimated that only 18 percent of his parishioners attended Mass any given week. The abuse scandals of the 1980s and ’90s accelerated the trend.

“They’ve been a bit more circumspect — and they have to be, because people are still sore with them for all that they’ve done,” Farrell, chairman of the politics department at University College Dublin, told The Post.

But Rev. Flannery, who was suspended by the Vatican in 2012 for contradicting Church orthodoxy on issues like homosexuality and the ordination of women, said even the Church’s muted opposition could be damaging.

“This referendum in particular is one that is very attractive to the younger generation. For the official Church to be taking such a consistent no line on it, they’re just further alienating a group that has largely left the Church anyway,” he told Reuters. “I would have thought that, that was foolish.”

Flannery announced that he, too, will be voting yes in an op-ed for Ireland’s Sunday Independent. Rejecting Church doctrine on homosexuality as “inhuman,” he said he sees the referendum as a chance to demonstrate Ireland’s potential for inclusivity.

“For me, the really Christian thing is to give them a strong and clear message that they are loved and accepted just as they are, and that they deserve to be treated with the same dignity as the rest of us,” he wrote.

And Rev. Standún said that win for the ‘yes’ side wouldn’t indicate that Irish Catholics are done with the Church.

“A lot of people who vote ‘yes’ on Friday will be at church on Sunday,” he said. “They won’t be any less Catholic. In fact they might be even more so, because they’re following the words of Jesus and showing more love.”

Draft of revised San Francisco faculty handbook statement takes a broader approach

San Morris-Young
National Catholic Reporter
May 20, 2015

An alleged draft of a revised faculty handbook statement for San Francisco archdiocesan high schools and a cover letter by Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone show a broader, less legalistic approach on church teaching and practice than the much-debated original version -- and a conciliatory tone from the archbishop.

Yet even before the archdiocese released the recast language, some people privy to leaked drafts of the purported texts expressed concern over what they describe as a change in tone but not substance as well as ongoing phrasing that would diminish labor law protections for teachers and staff.

The group Concerned Parents and Students: Teach Acceptance announced it will hold a press conference at 4 p.m. Wednesday on the steps of the chancery to "reject Archbishop Cordileone's revised Faculty Handbook" and "keep the current contract and handbook that have served the schools well."

Request for comment sent to archdiocesan officials early Wednesday were not acknowledged.

In a copy of what is said to be a working draft of a cover letter by Cordileone to accompany the rewritten handbook statement, the archbishop apologized for "lack of foresight on my part" for the "several unintended consequences" generated by his original document that "created tensions we have been experiencing."

Titled "Statement of the High Schools of the Archdiocese of San Francisco Regarding the Teachings and Practice of the Catholic Church," the free-standing, nearly 2,000-word instruction made public Feb. 3 has generated international headlines and deep divisions within the Bay Area Catholic community.

The statement underscored teaching on Mass attendance, confession, teaching authority of the church, sex outside marriage, traditional marriage, homosexual acts, hell, purgatory, the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, birth control, "artificial reproductive technology," and human cloning.

It also put "administrators, faculty and staff of any faith or of no faith" on notice to "arrange and conduct their lives so as not to visibly contradict, undermine or deny" church teaching and to "refrain from participation in organizations that call themselves 'Catholic' but support or advocate issues or causes contrary to the teachings of the Church."

Supporters of the statement praised Cordileone for laying out clear expectations for Catholic school employees and endorsed his stated motivation for developing the narrative: that the hot-button issues addressed are among the most sidelined by modern culture and that young people are under constant pressure "to conform to a certain agenda at variance with, and often aggressively so, our Christian understanding of the human person and God's purpose in creation," in the archbishop's words.

Critics said the document ignores the role of conscience, invades individuals' private lives, focuses too heavily on sexual issues, and employs divisive, hurtful language.

The harshest criticism focused on the Feb. 3 text's usage of language such as "gravely evil," "intrinsically evil," "gravely immoral" and "grave moral disorder" in regard to primarily sexual and reproductive teachings. The phrasing can effectively marginalize and diminish gay people and others, it was argued.

Well more than 4,000 words, the revised draft seen by NCR does not employ those descriptions and underscores: "The Gospel cannot be reduced to a list of truths no matter how comprehensive because the Gospel is a person, the anointed one, Jesus of Nazareth, who is Lord."

After reading the draft, Jesuit Fr. John Coleman, who wrote a blog in February critical of the rationale and approach of the initial text, said in an email that the tone of the new draft "is worlds apart from the earlier handbook."

"I could easily sign off on this one without any problem. Even the sexual stuff is more nuanced and less terrifying," wrote Coleman, a Bay Area sociologist who was a professor of religion and society at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley (1974-97) and held the Charles Casassa Chair in Social Values at Loyola Marymount University (1997-2009).

Written by a group of five high school theology teachers recruited by the archdiocese, the new document says in its preamble that the contents follow "the general structure of the Catechism" and "offer a short compendium of some important teachings."

Superintendent of Schools Maureen Huntington lauded the committee's work.

"From my perspective," she wrote in an email to NCR, "the Context Committee ... did an excellent job of articulating the Church's teachings in a variety of areas within the Four Pillars of the CCC. They were able to bring the Church's teachings into our daily life and assist us in understanding not only what the Church teaches but why."

Huntington confirmed indications in the archbishop's leaked cover letter that the new document will be open for review and refinement and is not scheduled for immediate inclusion in the 2015-16 faculty handbooks.

The four high schools affected by the faculty handbook are Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory and Archbishop Riordan in San Francisco, Marin Catholic in Kentfield, and Junipero Serra in San Mateo. There are also 10 other independent Catholic high schools in the archdiocese.

In its press statement Wednesday, Concerned Parents and Students: Teach Acceptance wrote:

"The Archbishop is attempting to reclassify all employees of four schools within the Archdiocese as part of the 'ministry' and 'mission' of the church in order to eliminate anti-discrimination and other workplace protections for those staff members. He has also proposed that teachers and staff at the schools accept handbook language that, among other things, condemns homosexuality, same-sex marriage, contraception, and use of assisted reproductive technology. These proposals, originally made public in February, were met with an overwhelming outcry from teachers, parents, students and allies of the four schools."

Kathleen Purcell, a constitutional attorney and former Catholic high school teacher, was quoted by the group, saying, "Under the revised handbook language, teachers would not be able to dissent or discuss ideas that conflict with the Archbishop's understanding of Catholicism without risking their jobs. This fundamentally alters the character of our schools. Teachers whose jobs are under threat if they step outside the line cannot provide a safe environment for students to learn."

The protest organization also wrote: "The Archbishop has many platforms from which to educate faculty, students, parents and other members of the school community regarding his interpretations of Church theology, other than an employee handbook."

Jim McGarry, a lead organizer of Concerned Parents and Students, sent an open letter to administrators of the four schools and others based on the circulating revised handbook text. He warned against communications "particularly aimed at parents" that "implied that all things will work out in time and nothing that you love about your school will change."

"The suggestion is that we will weather this storm by being who we are. Could this be a false hope? Instead, what is needed is an 'apocalyptic' tone," he added. "If our teachers' integrity is compromised in labor agreements and if this faculty handbook language is instituted, it will lethally damage our students, our teachers, our schools and our mission. Even muted, the Archbishop's rhetoric of judgment and selectivity about and atomization of the moral life of our students and their families is not simply a storm to be weathered. It is the precipice of a disaster."

Pope to bishops: stop ordering faithful around, fight graft

Nicole Winfield
Associated Press
May 18, 2015

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has told bishops to strongly denounce corruption and to act more like pastors than "pilots" telling the faithful what to do.

Francis' strong words were aimed at members of the Italian bishops' conference, who opened their annual meeting at the Vatican on Monday. Francis, who is also the bishop of Rome, urged his bishops to be more Christ-like in showing humility, compassion, mercy and wisdom.

He told them to not shy away from denouncing the "diffuse mentality" of public and private corruption that he said impoverished families, honest workers and retirees, while marginalizing the neediest and depriving young people of hope. Italy is rife with corruption scandals, and its youth unemployment rate stands at 43 percent.

Francis asked the bishops to reinforce the "indispensable role" of ordinary folk in their dioceses. "In reality, lay people who have an authentic Christian formation shouldn't need a bishop-pilot, or a monsignor-pilot, or clerical input to assume their responsibilities at every level, from political to social, economic to legislative," he said.

"Rather, what they all need is a Bishop Pastor!"

He complained that often official church documents are too heavy on doctrine and theory "as if our orientation isn't aimed at our people and country but rather students and specialists."

Francis has complained about an over-emphasis on doctrine and "small-minded rules" and lamented that theologians can get in the way of the church's evangelizing work. On Monday, he urged bishops to make sure their documents "are translated in concrete and comprehensible proposals."

Francis also complained that the church often organizes conferences where "the same voices" are heard over and over, an apparent reference to the practice of hosting only like-minded speakers at church-sponsored academic conferences.

Francis said such a practice "drugs the community, homogenizing choices, opinions and people." He urged bishops to instead go "where the Holy Spirit asks them to go."

Controversial (San Francisco) school chaplain Illo ousted at Star of the Sea

C. W. Nevius
San Francisco Chronicle
May 18, 2015

The announcement that priest Joseph Illo would be removed as chaplain of Star of the Sea School took a lot of people by surprise, but was Illo one of them?

The controversial pastor of the Star of the Sea parish sent out an odd letter to parents and faculty last week that said, “indications thus far are that I will remain administrator of Star of the Sea Parish for the foreseeable future.” However, nothing is said about the school.

We now know that Bishop Salvatore Cordileone has replaced Illo with Father Vito Perrone, who had been at Mater Dolorosa Church in South San Francisco. Perrone has quickly set out to lower the volume of the discussion about gender roles and morality pamphlets that’s been raging around the school for the past few months and reassure school parents.

“Father Vito showed up and the first thing he did was schedule 40-minute appointments with every parent,” said Christy Brooks, who has a sixth and a fourth grader at the school. “He’s a wonderful human being and a wonderful spiritual teacher.”

So all is well? Not so fast. Illo continues to be a polarizing figure and is still attempting to walk back some of his more incendiary comments. In an interview with the Catholic World Report he said his decision not to allow girls to be altar servers was, “a poke in the eye of liberal San Francisco.” He said changes at the Star of the Sea were part of a “purge.”

And, in preparing to come to San Francisco he wrote in a February 2014 blog post that he was about to enter the “ beautiful but savagely distorted cultural maelstrom that is the ‘Baghdad by the Bay.’”

“Before he ever arrived he was blogging about purging the parish,” said Brooks. “It was just name-calling in the simplest form. He insulted and accused us and he did not even know us.”

Illo appeared to get the message. His letter last week talks about how “I understand how important that it is that we develop a better working relationship moving forward.”

And, he added in respect to the all-male altar server controversy that, “I deeply regret the upset this issue has called us all.”

He may have hoped that would quell the controversy, but apparently Cordileone felt he’d rather make a change — at least for now. At first there was an announcement that Illo would stay as chaplain, then a reversal. Meanwhile, Brooks says the needs of the parents are simple and basic.

“Our hope is for a permanent pastor at Star of the Sea who honors and respects our community and 100-year Catholic education,” she said. “To that end, Fr. Vito Perrone has really gotten to know all the families.”

That all sounds positive, but at this point Brooks says parents are still deeply suspicious. Perrone is only committed to the school for a year, and she says parents fear that the plan is to let things cool down and then bring Illo back to run the school.

“In Father Illo’s mind, I think he truly believes that he will get the school back,” Brooks said. “That’s why the best long term solution would be to remove Fr. Illo from the parish completely.”

Catholics gather in San Francisco to support Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone

NBC Bay Area
May 16, 2015


The Bay Area Catholic community gathered in San Francisco Saturday to support Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone. Family picnics were held at Sue Bierman Park, with many people enjoying games and live entertainment, as they wrote messages of appreciation to Cordileone.

Cordileone has been a controversial figure these past months for his views on sexual abstinence and homosexuality. But that hasn't stopped some folks from standing by his side.

"I think his stance has been misunderstood, misinterpreted by a lot of people, and I hope that will change," Fr. Patrick Lee said. "That as time goes on, what he's doing would be understood and appreciated."

Attendees also wore blue to Saturday's event to show their solidarity and support for the archbishop.

Students react over twitter to priest's dismissal by (Newark) archdiocese

Emily Balan
the Setonian
May 16, 2015

Students took to social media to express their concerns in light of news Friday that the director for the Office of Campus Ministry, the Rev. Warren Hall, had allegedly been fired from the University.

Hall announced in a tweet around 2 p.m. that he had been let go from the University “for posting a pic on (Facebook) supporting LGBT ‘NO H8.’ I’m sorry it was met with this response. I’ll miss my work here.”

Since then, a spokesman for the Archdiocese confirmed Hall’s termination.

The initial post, which has since been deleted, was met with a large reaction from the social media community, racking up over 230 retweets and 150 favorites.

There are some who believe this will reflect poorly on the University, that a priest was allegedly fired for publicly supporting anti-discrimination for LGBT people by posting a ‘NOH8’ poster on Facebook.

Student Danielle Andreani, @dcandreani, tweeted at Seton Hall, “Would you like to comment? This seems unfair. College is where students & professors can engage in meaningful topics.” SHU’s official twitter replied, “We are thankful for all the tweets. The Archdiocese of Newark appoints the director of Campus ministry at Seton Hall,” to which Andreanu replied, “And you don’t even feel bad about the shameful situation that is occurring? This looks bad for #SHU, not the Archdiocese.”

Seton Hall’s official twitter account, @SetonHall, replied to students by repeating the Archdiocese of Newark is in charge of appointing the director’s position. Tweets about the situation have since been deleted.

Student Francis Ahmed, @francecee, tweeted, “Catholicism is based on a foundation of love. Love includes acceptance and seeking to understand. Make things right @SetonHall @Warrmeister.”

Student Karly Trovarelli, @KarlyTrovarelli, tweeted, “Sad to see that @Warrmeister will no longer be at SHU for posting an article against hate. Very upset that this was SHU’s response.”

Another student, @brimcfee, simply tweeted, “Ashamed to be a Seton Hall student.”

Student Ethan Kraft, @ethan_kraft, tweeted, “Outraged at @Seton Hall for dismissing @Warrmeister. Certainly not what Christ would have wanted, and not in line with the words of @Pontifex,” later clarifying that it is “important to remember the Archdiocese of Newark is ultimately in charge of this decision, not SHU. #WeWantFatherHall.”

He created a petition on change.org, an online platform to manage a petition for change, to reinstate Fr. Hall. It received more than 450 supporters within 16 hours of being created.

Students have also shown support for some type of organized response on Facebook. A public event was created by student Marina Montenegro who felt “ashamed” as a Catholic and as a part of the LGBTQ community at the situation. The Facebook event merely shares Archbishop Myer’s email address and invites people to voice their reactions. Within eight hours, more than 215 people expressed their support.

In a follow-up tweet, Fr. Hall expressed dismay by the situation but said “don’t be angry” and encourages people to turn this situation into an “opportunity for open/reasonable discussion on LGBT issues on a (Catholic) Campus.”

SHU alumni Michael Jacobson, @acsjacobson, tweeted, “@Warrmeister Absolutely unbelievable. Thanks for standing up for what is the right stance. I’m withholding this year’s donation to @SetonHall,” to which Fr. Hall replied, “Don’t do that! Push for more discussion/dialogue about the timely and challenging issues students should discuss.”

Spokeswoman for Seton Hall Laurie Pine repeated information from the University’s official twitter that “Seton Hall University does not comment on personnel matters. The Archbishop of Newark appoints the Director of Campus Ministry, who serves at his discretion,” according to an NJ.com article.

Fr. Hall was ordained in Newark’s Roman Catholic archdiocese in 1989. He became the Associate Director of Campus Ministry at Seton Hall in 2012 and later the director of Campus Ministry and an adjunct professor at the Department of Catholic Studies.