Prominent Catholics call on pope to oust S.F. archbishop

San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone is whisked into Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory in San Francisco for a lecture and a question-and-answer session with teachers Feb. 6. San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone is whisked into Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory in San Francisco for a lecture and a question-and-answer session with teachers Feb. 6. Photo: Michael Short / Special To The Chronicle Photo: Michael Short / Special To The Chronicle Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close Prominent Catholics call on pope to oust S.F. archbishop 1 / 15 Back to Gallery

In an unprecedented move, more than 100 prominent Roman Catholic donors and church members signed a full-page ad running Thursday in The Chronicle that calls on Pope Francis to replace San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone for fostering “an atmosphere of division and intolerance.”

The plea follows months of dissent within the archdiocese over Cordileone’s emphasis on traditional, conservative church doctrine — including asking high school teachers and staffers at Catholic schools to sign a morality clause that characterizes sex outside of marriage and homosexual relations as “gravely evil.”

In their open letter to the pope, Cordileone’s critics say his morality-clause push is mean-spirited and “sets a pastoral tone that is closer to persecution than evangelization.”

The ad drew swift condemnation from the archdiocese, which said those who signed it don’t speak for San Francisco’s Catholic community.

The list of signatories includes Brian Cahill, the retired executive director of Catholic Charities, former city commissioner and Boudin Bakery executive Lou Giraudo, retired Swinerton Builders Chairman David Grubb, businessman and former political consultant Clint Reilly and his wife, Janet, San Francisco attorney Michael Kelly, and Charles Geschke, chairman of Adobe Systems and former head of the University of San Francisco Board of Trustees. Also on the list is Tom Brady Sr., father of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

Among their complaints, they say Cordileone:

•Picked a pastor for Star of the Sea parish in the Richmond District “who marginalizes women’s participation in the church by banning girls from altar service” and who provided elementary-school children with a pamphlet about sexuality that asked whether they had masturbated, engaged in sodomy or undergone an abortion.

Photo: ONLINE_YES Prominent Catholics have taken out a full-page ad in The Chronicle...

•Disregards the advice of his own priests and retired priests in favor of “a tiny group of advisers recruited from outside (the) diocese and estranged from their own religious orders.”

•Threatens the long-term health of the archdiocese by adopting a “single-issue agenda” against same-sex marriage.

“It seems he is going in a direction that is completely opposite where Pope Francis is going and creating an atmosphere of complete intolerance,” said Peninsula attorney Frank Pitre who, along with his wife, Diane, signed the letter. “Hopefully, this is going to get someone’s attention.’’

Nibbi Brothers construction executive Larry Nibbi, who also signed the letter, said the archbishop “is just causing a lot of discord, especially with the young people in the diocese.”

“The crux of our worry is that the faithful are going to become very disenchanted and stop going to church because they don’t like the message, and the message is not the way they lead their lives,” Nibbi said.

Neither The Chronicle’s business department nor those associated with the ad would say how much it cost. We’re told, however, that full-page ads typically run in the tens of thousands of dollars.

A statement by the archdiocese provided to us Wednesday called the ad “a misrepresentation of Catholic teaching, a misrepresentation of the nature of the teacher contract, and a misrepresentation of the spirit of the archbishop. The greatest misrepresentation of all is that the signers presume to speak for 'the Catholic Community of San Francisco.’

“They do not.”

The statement also said archdiocese officials have “met with a broad range of stakeholders. Together, we have engaged in a constructive dialogue on all of the issues raised in this ad. We welcome the chance to continue that discussion.’’

According to a source familiar with the drafting of the open letter to Francis, the disaffected Catholics first considered running the ad weeks ago. They held off while they appealed to church higher-ups — including the papal representative in Washington — to address their concerns.

When nothing came of that, they went public.

Incidentally, don’t expect Cordileone to start soft-pedaling his opposition to same-sex marriage. He’s encouraging the faithful to join him at a big march in the nation’s capital in favor of “traditional” marriage on April 25, three days before the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in a case that could result in the justices declaring a constitutional right for gays and lesbians to wed.

San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or e-mail matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross