In an unprecedentedÂ act, Catholics are saying they’ve had enough of ArchbishopÂ Salvatore Cordileone, whose preachings they say are more like persecutions.

Calling it a “respectful appeal,” over 100 top, well-known Roman Catholics have attached their names to an ad in today’s San Francisco Chronicle, asking Pope Francis to replace ArchbishopÂ Salvatore Cordileone, whom they say does not reflect their values.

The Chronicle reports the big names among the signatories includeÂ “Brian Cahill,Â the retired executive director of Catholic Charities, former city commissioner and Boudin Bakery executiveÂ Lou Giraudo, retired Swinerton Builders ChairmanÂ David Grubb, businessman and former political consultantÂ Clint ReillyÂ and his wife,Â Janet, San Francisco attorneyÂ Michael Kelly,Â andÂ Charles Geschke,Â chairman of Adobe Systems and former head of the University of San Francisco Board of Trustees. Also on the list isÂ Tom Brady Sr., father of New England Patriots quarterbackÂ Tom Brady.”

Among the issues the group is complaining about is Cordileone’s morality clause he inserted into new contracts for Catholic school teachers, and statements in school handbooks like this one that reads, “all extra-marital sexual relationships are gravely evil, including adultery, masturbation, fornication, the viewing of pornography and homosexual relations.”

In their ad, which could have cost tens of thousands of dollars, they say the Archbishop “sets a pastoral tone that is closer to persecution than evangelization.”

And they complain about a CordileoneÂ hand-picked pastor who “provided elementary-school children with a pamphlet about sexuality that askedÂ whether they had masturbated, engaged in sodomy or undergone an abortion.“

But one of the San Franscisco Catholic community’s biggest complaints about ArchbishopÂ Cordileone is what they see as hisÂ â€œsingle-issue agendaâ€ against same-sex marriage.

The full ad can be seen at the Chronicle.Â

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Image byÂ American Life LeagueÂ viaÂ FlickrÂ and a CC license