Roman Catholic Archbishop Salvatore Joseph Cordileone made his debut performance on Thursday at St. Mary’s Cathedral amid dozens of civil rights advocates gathered outside the church. Why? Cordileone is staunchly anti-gay and strongly opposes gay marriage.

"Opposition to same-sex marriage has emerged as a principal theme of Benedict’s papacy. In March, he urged visiting U.S. bishops to beef up their teaching about the evils of premarital sex and cohabitation, and denounced what he called the 'powerful' gay marriage lobby in America," reports AP.

Cordileone is also noteworthy for being "the single-most recognizable church leader" to support Proposition 8, California's same-sex marriage ban. He is also notorious for making poor decisions when it comes to drinking and driving. In August, if you recall, the holy one was arrested in San Diego for driving under the influence. His mother, who defended her son, was also in the car at the time of the arrest. Some protesters poked fun at Cordileone's misfortune, waving signs asking, "One for the road, Sal?"

The 56-year-old man of God, the second-youngest U.S. archbishop, made light of his drunk driving incident yesterday, telling his audience, "I know in my life God has always had a way of putting me in my place. I would say, though, that in the latest episode of my life God has outdone himself."

Outside the church, Sister of Perpetual Indulgence member Zsa Zsa Glamour asked the crowd to repeat chants such as, "The archbishop has no superpowers … the archbishop cannot raise the dead … the archbishop is not God, do not pretend he is."

Look for more protests as Cordileone's tenure continues.

[AP]