Hundreds protest S.F. archbishop’s push on morality clauses

Sacred Heart Cathedral teacher Jim Jordan speaks as teachers and other unionized employees rally against Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone's planned morality clause for archdiocese school employees in front of Archdiocese headquarters in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, April 27, 2015. less Sacred Heart Cathedral teacher Jim Jordan speaks as teachers and other unionized employees rally against Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone's planned morality clause for archdiocese school employees in front of ... more Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close Hundreds protest S.F. archbishop’s push on morality clauses 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

Hundreds of Catholic-school teachers and supporters gathered outside the San Francisco Archdiocese on Monday afternoon waving rainbow banners and preaching acceptance of gays and lesbians — all in protest of efforts by the archbishop to require employees to embrace church opposition to “homosexual relations,” “fornication” and other “gravely evil” sexual activities.

The protesters sang a hymn called “Love, Love,” to which they’d rewritten the lyrics with their message of acceptance: “Teach acceptance is our call / Love your neighbor as yourself / For God loves us all.”

Until February, teachers and other employees at the San Francisco Archdiocese’s four high schools who disagreed with Catholicism’s strict sexual teachings felt little need to defend their beliefs, existing in comfortable, live-and-let-live symbiosis with their employer and their religion.

But this winter, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone unveiled a statement he wanted included in the employee handbook and the faculty contract for Riordan and Sacred Heart Cathedral schools in San Francisco, Marin Catholic in Kentfield and Junipero Serra in San Mateo clarifying that sex outside of marriage, homosexual relations, the viewing of pornography and masturbation are “gravely evil.” It said employees should “affirm and believe” the statements, which include that marriage is between “one man and one woman” and that sperm donation, the use of a surrogate and other forms of “artificial reproductive technology” are also gravely evil.

Since then, parents and others have protested and marched in opposition. Some students have quit the schools. Monday’s protest is believed to be the first with so many employees.

Teacher Nell Jeffrey of Sacred Heart Cathedral took the microphone and told about a student who had been conceived through in vitro fertilization.

“Is she the product of evil?” Jeffrey asked the crowd gathered at archdiocese headquarters near St. Mary’s Cathedral, which roared its disapproval. “The answer is absolutely not!” Jeffrey said to applause. “She is a product of God!”

Cordileone’s spokesman, Larry Kamer, said the archbishop has been visiting each of the four schools in hopes of clarifying his message and correcting misinformation about his intent.

“He remains open to finding language that both sides can live with,” Kamer said. “But he does believe — and he wants his intent to be clear — these are Catholic schools. He does not believe that teachers should be actively teaching against Catholic teaching.”