San Francisco archbishop-elect arrested for DUI

Bishop Salvatore Cordileone of Oakland, Calif. makes the sign of the cross during the fall meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Monday, Nov. 15, 2010 in Baltimore. / AP Photo/Steve Ruark

(CBS/AP) SAN DIEGO - The Roman Catholic archbishop-elect of San Francisco was arrested for investigation of driving under the influence, San Diego police said Monday.

The Rev. Salvatore Cordileone, a vigorous supporter of California's same-sex marriage ban, was taken into custody after being stopped early Saturday at a checkpoint near the San Diego State University campus, said Detective Gary Hassen, a police spokesman. He declined to comment on whether Cordileone took a sobriety test.

There was no record of Cordideone being in custody on Monday. The San Diego city attorney's office, which prosecutes misdemeanor DUI offenses, said it had not received a report on the arrest.

Cordileone, 56, is a native of San Diego, where he was raised and ordained as a priest in 1982. In July, Pope Benedict XVI selected him to replace Archbishop George Niederauer, who is retiring in October. Cordileone was most recently bishop of Oakland and several years ago, he was an auxiliary bishop in San Diego.

While serving in San Diego four years ago, Cordileone was instrumental in devising an initiative to strip same-sex couples of the right to wed in California and then raising Catholic dollars to qualify it for the ballot. He also was part of a statewide network of clergy that promoted the measure, known as Proposition 8. Campaign finance records show he personally gave at least $6,000 to back the voter-approved ban.

Cordileone also served in Rome for seven years as an assistant at the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, the highest judicial body in the vatican, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. His career spans three decades.

Since last year, Cordileone has been chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage.

In an interview with the National Catholic Register last year, Cordileone said that same-sex marriage is "a very serious social experiment that will have dire consequences."

[jorgepio]

Anything that can bring discredit to this newly appointed self-righteous, self-appointed arbitrator of what's good for the San Francisco Archdiocese, is welcome. I am a practicing Catholic, who sings every week in the Mission Dolores Basilica choir and am disgusted by the turn of events that has brought this man to this delicate position of authority within the local Catholic church community. He has begun a reign of havoc and tyranny with his actions. It is as he has absolutely no compassion, but is mindful only of protecting a church hierarchy that has brought us, among other things, the protection of pedophile priests, merciless attacks on women, denunciations of gays and lesbians, mindless attacks on abortion (even when the life of both the mother and fetus are simultaneously in danger as was the case at St. Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix, AZ), and totally archaic attacks on contraception even in the face of its absolute necessity in times of economic hardship. This man seems to care not a whit for the compassionate, inclusive, loving, forgiving teachings of Christ as outlined in the four Gospels.

Jorge Portugal L.

[blondelara]

Thank you! You said it all. THAT papist hypocrite; karma is a *****.

[Calltwoarms]

These men in the Catholic Church are epitome of HYPOCRISY! Most are sex-offenders that have evaded prosecution for years. Similar to the NAZI party after WWII.

He should be given zero special treatment and should be made an example for the other child molesters in the Catholic church.

Tell me again why churches are tax exempt? This man and the Catholic church and the mormon church were the sole financiers for Proposition 8 in California.

They espouse hate the same as neo-Nazis. Why should they be allowed to dodge their paying taxes when they're POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS hiding behind Church walls.

[AOCGUY]

The Roman Catholic archbishop-elect of San Francisco was arrested for investigation of driving under the influence, San Diego police said Monday.

But ... There was no record of Cordideone being in custody on Monday

But ... the city attorney's office, which prosecutes misdemeanor DUI offenses, said it had not received a report on the arrest.

Am I missing something here?

[bwlewis1964]

He better hope the Judge isn't GAY!!!!!!!

[nolapearl]

And the rest of us can hope that the Judge is gay.

[realtimecoffee]

by tmittelstaed August 27, 2012 11:41 PM EDT

If you want to avoid harassment arrests then take a cab or get a driver.
---
So true even if you're not an Arch Bishop elect.

[nohater]

lets see if the mighty pope demotes him. he should be demoted if he is found guilty of dui. if sauced up wonder where he did his drinking? too much church wine, drinking in church wine cellar, where? nothing will happen to him, rarely do catholic church clergy actually get severe punishment for any criminal activity and rarely, if ever, are they defrocked. this one will get away with it.

[markmazza]

Well well Bishop: I guess you're God does work in mysterious ways.

Could the message be perhaps: Nobody's perfect, not even you!

[juryrig]

He was set up. Some cowardly little wag tail hates the Catholic Church so one or more of them follow this Bishop around like a spineless pack of Chicken Chits and they moused him to the bulls as soon as they see him take a drink... yellow gutless *******... then they point their sticky fingers at him and WAIL !

[juryrig]

The above is an uninformed hate filled prejudicial comment submitted by me... The comment is equally as offensive as other uninformed hate filled prejudicial comments expressed here.

[Calltwoarms]

@juryrig You're simply sick. A wag tail? How dare you disrespect an entire population of human beings simply because one of the many Felony-prone priests is arrested. You know no one had to set up this moron because child molesting priests always find their own way to be imprisoned. He personally contributed to Proposition 8 which could be a very unhealthy ideology to support. He deserved to taken out, not arrested for a DUI.

[tvwatcher5345]

The Roman Catholic archbishop-elect of San Francisco, nough said

[LouAz]

Do as I say, not as I do - be - do - be - do . . .