San Francisco Archbishop-To-Be and Noted Bigot Salvatore Cordileone Arrested for Allegedly Driving Drunk

The Rev. Salvatore Cordileone, a vigorous opponent of same-sex marriage in California and the Roman Catholic archbishop-elect of the San Francisco area, was pulled over and arrested Saturday on suspicion of driving under the influence at a DUI checkpoint near San Diego State University, in a neighborhood of bars and restaurants that college students frequent to do exactly what it seems Cordileone was doing, only less stupidly (sometimes). Cordileone was released just shy of midnight Saturday on $2,500 bail and ordered to appear in court Oct. 9.

Though the San Francisco archdiocese didn't immediately comment on Cordileone's arrest, the San Francisco Chronicle notes that canon law wouldn't necessarily prompt a delay in Cordileone being installed as the San Francisco archbishop. Because Catholic bishops are answerable only to the pope, Cordileone's punishment would probably have to come from the Vatican, which has been notoriously lethargic in doling out punishments for clerical misdeeds.

When Cordileone was serving in San Diego four years ago, he helped devise an initiative to divest same-sex couples in California of the right to marry, and then helped raised Catholic donations to qualify the initiative for a state ballot. He was also part of a statewide network of clergy who openly promoted Proposition 8, and showed such dedication to the cause of ensuring that people of the same sex would have to abide by the same marital restrictions as Catholic clergy that he personally dedicated $6,000 to the voter-approved same-sex marriage ban.

San Francisco archbishop-elect in DUI arrest [AP via San Francisco Chronicle]