San Francisco's Catholic Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone continues doing his level best to prove his conservative credentials and alienate the majority of people in the city he represents. And his latest move was publishing an op-ed in the Washington Post slamming government leaders for denying Americans' their "right to worship"... indoors. Practicing Catholic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would like him to please shut the eff up and go say a few Our Fathers.
Cordileone already made an ass of himself this summer hosting an "exorcism" at the empty pedestal for the toppled statue of Junipero Serra in Golden Gate Park. And the Catholic Church has continued to be one of the worst scofflaws in the city with regard to public health orders in this pandemic, earning the ire of the City Attorney's Office in particular after a North Beach church was caught hosting an indoor wedding ceremony with 100 guests in early July. That wedding was linked to an outbreak of at least 10 COVID infections in multiple states where guests traveled from, including both the bride and groom.
Now, as he writes in the Washington Post, he wants everyone to know he "won't be silent anymore" as he contributes to the pile of editorials from right-wing figures and pundits that will surely fall on the wrong side of history in this pandemic.
"We Catholics respect legitimate authority, and we recognize that the government has a right to impose reasonable public health rules, just as we recognize its right to issue safety codes for our church buildings," Cordileone writes. "But when government asserts authority over the church’s very right to worship, it crosses a line."
Cordileone argues that while San Franciscans can freely shop in malls and sit in outdoor restaurants, six feet apart, no equal accommodation has been made for indoor worship — and currently, outdoor church services are limited to 12 people. And while some super-spreading events early in the pandemic were linked to church services, Cordileone writes that "there have been no documented outbreaks of Covid-19 linked to church attendance in churches that follow the protocols."
Pelosi shot back on Friday, as the Associated Press reports, saying she'd love to attend Mass again, but "With all do respect to my archbishop, I think we should follow science on this."
Pelosi also spoke to the centuries-old rift between faith and science, saying, "Around here, people say to me, You’re a person of faith, why do you believe in science? I say, I believe science is an answer to our prayers. It is a creation of God, and one that is an answer to our prayers."
