Being an Archbishop in the Catholic Church is a serious job. Indiscretions are no laughing matter. Yet the recently appointed Archbishop in San Francisco is joking about a recent arrest for driving under the influence (DUI).
I am sure his superiors find neither his DUI behavior nor his light-hearted humor very funny. As reported in www.boston.com.
San Francisco’s new Roman Catholic archbishop, Salvatore Joseph Cordileone, made self-deprecating jokes about his recent drunken-driving arrest in san Diego (California) during his formal installation ceremony, which came just days after he pleaded guilty to reckless driving.
That does not seem like the time or the place to make jokes about DUI behavior!
But Archbishop, a strong supporter of California’s ban on same-sex marriage, did not refer to the distress his appointment has aroused in this gay-friendly city and mentioned marriage only obliquely Thursday.
It was the first Dui offense for the 56-year-old priest, the second-youngest U.S. archbishop.
Cordileone was arrested after he was stopped at a police checkpoint near San Diego State University. Adding to his embarrassment and humiliation, his mother and a visiting priest from Germany were with him in the car he was driving.
I would like to hear an apology for driving under the influence as well as for his remarks brushing off the incident. I also would like to see him enrolled in an alcohol class. For his sake, as well as those of Catholics around the globe, I hope there is no repeat performance.