SAN FRANCISCO, CA, April 24, 2015 (LifeSiteNews.com) – As the United States awaits the Supreme Court's decision on same-sex “marriage,” San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone will not attend the national March for Marriage this Saturday.
The event, which is expected to draw thousands to the nation’s capital, begins with a rally and speakers on the National Mall. But Archbishop Cordileone, who heads the U.S. Bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage and spoke at the annual march last year, will not be among them.
Instead, this year several other bishops will attend the event, including, USCCB President Louisville Archbishop Joseph Kurtz and Chairman of the USCCB Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty Baltimore Archbishop William Lori, among others.
Archbishop Cordileone said he was “grateful to his brother bishops for participating this year and will be there in spirit and prayer.”
“These and other bishops will be representing the commitment of the Catholic bishops of the United States to the goods of marriage and religious freedom at the March for Marriage in Washington, D.C., this year,” the San Francisco archdiocese said in a statement, “which will allow Archbishop Cordileone to remain home and attend to the pastoral needs of the Church here at this time.”
Archbishop Cordilone has been targeted in a negative public relations campaign by homosexual activists for more than two months over his work to uphold Catholic principles in archdiocesan high schools.
Last year, Nancy Pelosi and other homosexual “marriage” advocates publicly pressured the archbishop to back out of speaking at the March for Marriage. Archbishop Cordileone responded that it was his duty as bishop to proclaim the truth about marriage.
Archbishop Cordileone, along with Portland Bishop Richard Malone, endorsed the march last week, inviting other bishops to lend their support.
“The march will be an opportunity to stand for the good of marriage in our nation, to pray for our Supreme Court justices, and to demonstrate our commitment to the well-being of children,” they said. “The march is an important witness to a movement dedicated to building a culture of marriage and the family, and it serves to remind all people that a Supreme Court ruling will not decide the issue of marriage any more than Roe decided the issue of abortion.”
This year’s March for Marriage will focus on religious liberty. The USCCB is a sponsor.
