Archbishop backsteps in face of community witness

In San Francisco, Catholic school communities have spent the month organizing a strong response to Archbishop Cordileone's proposal of morality clauses for teachers and staff. In direct response to the outrage expressed by the community, the Archbishop told newspapers yesterday that he plans to "adjust" the language, including both morality clauses and the "minister" designation that could strip employees of legal protections. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Archbishop is forming a committee to "clarify" the language. Although this is not the total victory we'd hoped for, it is wonderful proof that the diocese can't ignore the voices of lay Catholics. They claim to be surprised by the response, and this back-stepping certainly indicates that they recognize that the Church is not afraid to hold its leaders accountable.

The response the the morality clauses has been led by local students and parents, on seeing this news in the papers yesterday they posted a response: "As parents, we welcome Archbishop Cordileone's public statement that he will reexamine his proposal to alter the teachers' contracts and handbook language. However, until the final resolution is agreed upon and written down, we must remain vigilant and strong in calling for the Archbishop to honor the teachers' labor rights, and to not include language in the handbooks which would make our children, their teachers and staff members feel in any way unwelcome, unsupported, or unsafe." They wrote on Facebook, "We will continue to be steadfast in calling for the bedrock values of our schools - including acceptance, love and justice - to be reflected in our handbooks. We will insist that the teachers' labor rights be respected." They asked people to spread the word, sign the petition and show up to local vigils and listening sessions.It is inspiring to see institutional leaders like Cordileone acknowledge the opinions and power of the laity; now it is up to us to keep up the pressure and make sure our schools are safe workplaces!