Simmering acrimony over the decision-making, communications and mindset of the much-watched seven-year episcopacy of San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone breached the surface of an early October convocation of clergy, surprising many and leaving questions about the future between the prelate and much of his presbyterate.
At one point during the Sept. 30-Oct. 3 gathering at Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, California, Cordileone is said to have said, “I do not understand you, and you do not understand me,” while he also told the 145 priests attending, “I love you.”
A summary of the assembly prepared by its organizing committee for the Oct. 10 regular meeting of the archdiocesan Presbyteral Council synthesized the key deliberations:
“On Tuesday evening [Oct. 1], the group seemed to come to a near consensus that the priests of the Archdiocese desire greater communication and collaboration with the Archbishop in making key decisions.”
Missing, however, was the depth of emotion and frustration expressed during general session exchanges at which the archbishop and moderator of the curia, Jesuit Fr. John Piderit, were not present, several participants told NCR.
Laid bare, they said, were tensions over muddy communications, lack of authentic consultation, low clergy morale, unilateral initiatives by Cordileone, and the archbishop’s embrace of “the model of a pre-Vatican II church,” in the words of one pastor.
Some attendees, however, told NCR that Cordileone enjoys steady clerical “appreciation and agreement” with his ecclesiology among many priests, notably younger men.
The above story comes from an Oct. 31 story in the National Catholic Reporter.
I hope for the sake of the Church in San Francico that Archbishop Cordileone finds a way to get along better with his priests. I think it has been rougher for him than he ever expected, but I think he is sincere in his desire to improve things. He was remarkably young when he was ordained bishop, and so i think that shows in the way he handles things. He is not being helped by people he brought in like Father Illo who closed a school and let go teachers who had spent their entire lives teaching below standard salaries, very near retirement, and the woman he gave a sinecure to to run his liturgical institute from her home thousands of miles from San Francisco.
Please get your facts straight before writing a comment. The problem is not lack of communication but lack of acceptance the Church teachings. Fr. Illo had not choice but close the school for lack of families and teachers who did accept the fact he was planning to started an authentic Catholic school.
Well, you’ve got all the liberal talking points down quite well. Fr. Illo’s parish is growing in leaps and bounds despite all the naysayers and his coffers are full. The school didn’t close because of Fr. Illo. The school closed because of the handful of obnoxious parents who made it a living hell with their drama. They didn’t want to send their kids to a Catholic school. They wanted to send their kids to a private school which was their little playground. Catholicism in general was the problem with that crowd. That’s not the objective or responsibility of a Catholic school. Hopefully it will re-open without the drama. And your comment about what I assume is the Benedict the XVI institute is ridiculous. He’s got a team of some of the best and the brightest in liturgy and music from across the country. I’m reasonably sure her previous non-profits are your beef but maybe you could give the name next time so all can research. Please feel free to search my site for other info on Star of the Sea.
Didn’t Father Illo just tell the parish it wasn’t worth doing special planning for Christmas liturgies because nobody will be there?
And Nanda, if there are facts I got wrong, please let me know. I think I was pretty spot on.
Please link to the original story.
Click on the words “an Oct. 31 story” in line at bottom of story.
Thank you
My favorite reaction to this piece by NCR is by lay blogger One Mad Mom: https://onemadmomblog.wordpress.com/2019/11/01/priests-fume-about-slow-service-and-catholicism/
She starts by saying she “got some not so happy messages from some of the San Francisco Archdiocese people over this ridiculous [NCR] article. They are none to happy about the attack on Archbishop Cordileone and neither are the people in his old flock across the Bay.” In her words, “I HOPE some priests in that diocese will stand up for the archbishop.”
That’s my hope too.
Interesting that ‘NCR’ can refer to two different publications with very different points of view.
I noticed on the OneMadMom blog that she abbreviates the one that has been told not to use the word Catholic in its name as NcR.
Just an FYI, NcR is the National Catholic Reporter. The attribute at the end is incorrect. Many accidentally refer tot he wrong publication. Done it myself. The Reporter is the dissenting publication and Register is faithful.
Archbishop Cordileone, a true Prince of the Church and a steadfast defender of the Faith, will have a hard time dealing with the very educated but ultra left-wing Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego as he comes off his heady Amazonian Synod aiming for the souls of traditional Catholics. Armed with the Pope’s favor and grace, Bishop McElroy will use his newfound clout to promote environmentalism as the bulwark of Catholicism, equating its abuse as a sin on a par with the intrinsic evil of abortion. My prayers go to Archbishop Cordileone so that he has the courage of his convictions to withstand the onslaught from within the Church.
Fr Illo is a hero!!
One Mad Mom nails it!!
I find it very telling that the “younger” priests are in alignment with the Archbishop. Fortunately, for the future of the church, the next generation of priests are actually our hope! Those called to vocations today are those well formed and eager to uphold the magisterium. Archbishop Cordileone is a brilliant scholar and canon lawyer…he’ll hold his own in the face of opposition. Knowing him personally, I am quite sure he will also reflect deeply on feedback from his priests and adjust accordingly yet without compromising his personal integrity or that of the Mother Church.
Amen to that fact. Some of these priests are the ones who have forgotten their vows, which make the priesthood so special. St Padre Pio would be humble and follow his Bishop in obedience, poverty and chastity. Jesus will take care of the rest. We all need to pray and sacrifice for the priesthood. Those in it and entering it.
I agree the Bishop is just upholding Catholic teaching. If that is offensive to some, they have not been reading the saints and are desiring to be protestors or protestants. Many of them were just poorly catechized and now do not want to change, or accept they may have fallen in error. Many of these priests helped lead their parishioners away from the Church by not teaching the beauty and truth of Catholicism which many of the young are now discovering. Following the world has never been the answer. We must all carry our own cross. The Catholic Church needs to always defend truth, at whatever the cost.
Is your priest in adoration on his knees before the Lord and promoting it? Or is he more concerned with some social event? Lord save us from the worldly priests and lay Catholics, who truly have not given their lives to Christ and are more concerned with what the world thinks of them. This is the answer to everything.
Perhaps I have a different take on the article, but it seems to me that the issues raised by the priest of the Archdiocese have nothing to do with faith. They have to do with management style. In any organization, the leader’s way of communicating, bringing people into the decision making process, and how they interact on a personal basis has a lot to do with building trust. That is the firs duty of a leader, because if the troops don’t trust the leader, committment to the organization and its goals suffer, people don’t accept accountability for the broad goals of the organization and the organization becomes disfunctional. The Archbishop may not understand why he has the disconnect with the prysbiterate.
Bob One— Or could it be that the dissatisfied priests mistakenly believe that they have the same decisional authority as the Archbishop? They don’t. I’m not suggesting we encourage episcopal tyrants [the Archbishop is not], but since he has the ultimate responsibility before God, the buck must stop with him.
From my interaction with some of the priests in the archdiocese I would venture the guess a reason priests are unhappy with the archbishop’s management style is that they lack a deep priestly prayer life.
The Church is not a social club or an NGO.
It’s not that the problem has “nothing to do with faith.” It has everything to do with faith. With THE faith.
Amen.
We need more priests in California to focus on their vows and the cardinal virtues and remember their primary goal for us is to guide us in being holy, and help lead us to heaven. NOT all this other focus.
Can they not see the empty pews in some of their churches? The truth is not always easy to hear and follow, especially in a state like California. But that is where the true peace and joy of Christ is found. The parishes doing well are generally those teaching the whole of Catholicism. Both the easy and the hard stuff. It’s not a social club or a democracy. It’s THE Church that Jesus founded and the Spirit guides. We have a role to play as Vatican II states. Let’s get back to the basics.
The reason “older” priests detest Archbishop Cordileone is because he offers the TLM and traditional sacraments where he is asked to, as well as having Gregorian chant return to his cathedral and the altar has a central crucifix and six tall candlesticks. Another reason he offers the Novus Ordo ad orietnem in his cathedral and the older priests and laity have flipped out. Pray for the good Archbishop and Traditional Latin Mass
You nailed it! The reason people become Catholics is because of the three candles on the altar. Without those, you might just as well go to a Pentecostal church.
Bob One and his liberal sarcasm. What these old priest do not like is that Abp Cordileone is reminder to them how much THEIR generation and its novelities failed the Church on a monumental level. Bob One people become Catholic because it is THE ONLY path salvation, but something tells me you do not believe that , which leads me to ask why are you Catholic.
Oh come on, the sarcasm wasn’t liberal, it was pure and unadulterated. Six candles on the altar aren’t what Catholicism is all about. It is a ritual. Faith is about our belief in God, in His overwhelming salvation, His love for everyone who believes in him. Don’t you think our focus should be about getting through the narrow door, and not all the external stuff? By the way, those who know me would be hard-pressed to call me a liberal.
Bob One your mocking of the traditional liturgy is well known on this site…if you want to get people through the door, dont tell them what they want to hear, tell them what will save their souls. I don’t need to go to mass on Sunday to have a priest blathering on about how I should be “nice” and that I should recycle. I go because it is the worship ( yes Bob One the TLM) that He is due and his glory deserves. His salvation is open to those who accept and try to do His will, not those who presume His Mercy. Which is rampant in the Church right now.
We assist at Mass to give the Lord the worship that He desires and deserves, to beg pardon for our sins, to thank Him for His blessings and to petition for His help, especially for the Church, the Pope, the Bishop, the spread of the Gospel, the conversion of sinners and the the repose of the faithful departed and our own needs and the needs of our families, communities, world leaders. The grace of the Mass is infinite.
The reason is as simple as the older Priests are primarily Liberal and the AB is Traditional and that is why
he gets all the backlash from the older Priests plus many of the Pastors have been given in the past
that the parish is THEIR Kingdom!!!!!!
I had permission from the Archbishop to have the St. Michael the Archangel prayer prayed after a Sunday Mass, as long as it was a grass roots effort which it surely was…….while in the middle of praying the prayer,
the Pastor came up to me telling me that we could not say the prayer!!!!! And it happened at the weekday
afternoon Mass too, the gentleman leading the prayer also was interrupted very rudely right in the middle
of praying!!!!!! And what is SO SAD is that in todays world we need St. Michael more than ever!!!
Pray for the Archbishop everyone and the Liberal Priests especially those whom are Pastors!!!
Bohemond:
you captured the essence of
“contemporary catholicism:”
Be Nice & Recycle !
unfortunately you are 100% correct
Love these thoughts. Thanks.
The catacombs are not filled with people who preached be “nice and recycle”.
The early Church preached Christ crucified and encouraged each other to take up their cross and follow our Lord.
These were people who went to the lions with their children rather then burn incense to pagan gods or the emperor. These are our role models. I hope we keep reminding each other.
I love being Catholic.
Viva Christo Rey!
He his a great asset to lead the flock in San Francisco. I wish there were more like him