Future San Francisco archbishop apologizes for 'disgrace' caused by arrest

Oakland, Calif., Aug 27, 2012 / 16:33 pm

Archbishop-designate Salvatore J. Cordileone of San Francisco is apologizing for his "error in judgment" and asking forgiveness for the disgrace he brought upon the Church and himself by being arrested for drunk driving.

"I apologize for my error in judgment and feel shame for the disgrace I have brought upon the Church and myself. I will repay my debt to society and I ask forgiveness from my family and my friends and co-workers at the Diocese of Oakland and the Archdiocese of San Francisco, Archbishop Cordileone said in an Aug. 27 statement provided to CNA.
 
"I pray that God, in His inscrutable wisdom, will bring some good out of this," he added.

According to the future San Francisco archbishop, the incident occurred after he had dinner in San Diego with some of his friends and a priest friend who was visiting from overseas.

His mother, who lives near San Diego State University, was also at the dinner. While the archbishop was driving his mother to her house, which is located near San Diego State University, he passed through a DUI checkpoint the police had set up.

The police found Archbishop Cordileone to be over California's legal blood alcohol level and he was taken to the county jail. The legal blood alcohol limit for California is 0.08 percent.

San Diego police spokesperson, Detective Gary Hassen, confirmed for CNA Aug. 27 that Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone was arrested just after midnight on Aug. 25. He was released on bail just before noon that same day, Hassen said.

Archbishop Cordileone was announced as the replacement for Archbishop George H. Niederauer on July 27, 2012. He will officially become the San Francisco archbishop when he is installed on Oct. 4.