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!une 16, 2014

Callfornla LL. Covernor Cavln newsom Cabrlel 8lau, LxecuLlve ulrecLor, lamlly
Callfornla SLaLe SenaLor Mark Leno LquallLy Councll
Callfornla Assemblymember 1om Ammlano lr. 8oy 8ourgeols, lounder School of
Callfornla Assemblymember 8lch Cordon Lhe Amerlcas WaLch
San lranclsco Mayor Ld Lee Cay & Lesblan AdvocaLes & uefenders (CLAu),
San lranclsco 1reasurer !ose Clsneros Cary 8useck, lnLerlm LxecuLlve ulrecLor
San lranclsco Supervlsor uavld Campos 8ea Carey, LxecuLlve ulrecLor, naLlonal Cay and
San lranclsco Supervlsor ScoLL Wlener Lesblan 1ask lorce
ur. Mlchael !. Adee, ulrecLor, Clobal lalLh and lalLh ChelLenham, resldenL, 8lnL1 uSA
!usLlce ro[ecL, Porlzons loundaLlons, lrancls ue8ernardo, LxecuLlve ulrecLor, new
San lranclsco, Callfornla Ways MlnlsLry
1he very 8ev. ur. 8rlan 8aker, uean of Lhe 8oger uoughy, LxecuLlve ulrecLor, Porlzons
CaLhedral, 1rlnlLy CaLhedral, SacramenLo, loundaLlon
Callfornla Marlanne uuddy-8urke, LxecuLlve ulrecLor,
Sellsse 8erry, loundlng Chlef LxecuLlve Cfflcer, ulgnlLy uSA
CuL & Lqual Workplace AdvocaLes 8ev. Mlchael Llllck, MlnlsLer, !udson Memorlal
Church


uear lellow ClLlzens,

Your letter sharing with me your thoughts on the upcoming March for Marriage in WashlngLon, u.C.,
was forwarded Lo me whlle l was aLLendlng meeLlngs ouL of Lown, and l have reflecLed on whaL you
have Lo say. I appreciate your affirmation of my Churchs teachingnoL unlque Lo our rellglon, buL a LruLh
accesslble Lo anyone of good wlllon Lhe lnLrlnslc human dlgnlLy of all people, lrrespecLlve of Lhelr sLage
and condlLlon ln llfe. 1haL prlnclple requlres us Lo respecL and proLecL each and every member of Lhe
human famlly, from Lhe preclous chlld ln Lhe womb Lo Lhe frall elderly person nearlng deaLh. lL also
requlres me, as a blshop, Lo proclalm Lhe LruLhLhe whole LruLhabout the human person and Gods will
for our flourlshlng. l musL do LhaL ln season and ouL of season, even when LruLhs LhaL lL ls my duLy
Lo uphold and Leach are unpopular, lncludlng especlally Lhe LruLh abouL marrlage as Lhe con[ugal unlon of
husband and wlfe. 1haL ls whaL l wlll be dolng on !une 19
Lh
.

WlLh regard Lo your requesL LhaL l noL aLLend Lhe March, and Lhe reasons you glve for Lhls requesL, allow
me Lo explaln Lhe followlng polnLs.

1. 1he March for Marrlage ls !"# anti-LGBT (as some have described it); it is not anti-anyone or
anLl-anyLhlng. 8aLher, lL ls a %&"'()&&*)+, March. 1he laLLer does noL lmply Lhe former. 8aLher,
lL afflrms Lhe greaL good of brlnglng Lhe Lwo halves of humanlLy LogeLher so LhaL a man and
a woman may bond wlLh each oLher and wlLh any chlldren who come from Lhelr unlon. 1hls ls

precisely the vision promoted by Pope Francis, who recently said, We must reaffirm the right of
chlldren Lo grow up ln a famlly wlLh a father and mother. Rest assured that if the point of this
evenL were Lo slngle ouL a group of lndlvlduals and LargeL Lhem for haLred, l mosL cerLalnly
would noL be Lhere.
2. Whlle l cannoL go lnLo all of Lhe deLalls here of your allegaLlons agalnsL Lhe sponsors of Lhls
evenL and scheduled speakers, l do know LhaL aL leasL some of whaL you say ls based on
mlslnLerpreLaLlon or ls slmply facLually lncorrecL. lor example, lL ls noL Lrue LhaL Lhe naLlonal
CrganlzaLlon for Marrlage connecLs homosexuallLy wlLh pedophllla and lncesL. WhaL ls Lrue ls
LhaL Lhree years ago a conference was sponsored ln 8alLlmore by Lhe group 84u-AC1 for Lhe
purpose of flndlng ways Lo encourage Lolerance for pedophllla. A statement on NOMs blogposL
ob[ecLlng Lo Lhls conference afflrmed LhaL Lhls ls someLhlng LhaL would ouLrage people ln Lhe gay
communlLy as well. unforLunaLely, many concluslons are belng drawn abouL Lhose lnvolved ln
Lhe March for Marrlage based on false lmpresslons.
3. lL glves me assurance LhaL we share a common dlsdaln for harsh and haLeful rheLorlc. lL musL be
polnLed ouL, Lhough, LhaL Lhere ls plenLy of offenslve rheLorlc whlch flows ln Lhe opposlLe
dlrecLlon. ln facL, for Lhose who supporL Lhe con[ugal undersLandlng of marrlage, Lhe aLLacks
have noL sLopped aL rheLorlc. Slmply for Laklng a sLand for marrlage as lL has been undersLood
ln every human socleLy for mlllennla, people have losL Lhelr [obs, losL Lhelr llvellhoods, and have
suffered oLher Lypes of reLrlbuLlon, lncludlng physlcal vlolence. lL ls Lrue LhaL hlsLorlcally ln our
socleLy vlolence has been perpeLraLed agalnsL persons who experlence aLLracLlon Lo members of
Lhe same sex, and Lhls ls Lo be deplored and eradlcaLed. Sadly, Lhough, we are now beglnnlng Lo
see examples, alLhough Lhankfully noL wldespread, of even %-./*0)1 vlolence agalnsL Lhose who
hold Lo Lhe con[ugal vlew of marrlage (such as, mosL noLably, Lhe aLLempLed gunnlng down of
Lhose who work ln Lhe offlces of Lhe lamlly 8esearch Councll). Whlle lL ls Lrue LhaL free speech
can be used Lo offend oLhers, lL ls noL so much people exerclslng Lhelr rlghL Lo free speech LhaL
drlves us furLher aparL Lhan people punlshed preclsely for dolng so LhaL does.
4. lease do noL make [udgmenLs based on sLereoLypes, medla lmages and commenLs Laken ouL of
conLexL. 8aLher, geL Lo know us flrsL as fellow human belngs. l myself am wllllng Lo meeL
personally wlLh any of you noL only Lo dlalogue, buL slmply so LhaL we can geL Lo know each
oLher. lL ls Lhe personal encounLer LhaL changes Lhe vlslon of Lhe oLher and sofLens Lhe hearL.
ln Lhe end, love ls Lhe answer, and Lhls can happen even beLween people wlLh such deep
dlsagreemenLs. 1haL may sound fanclful and far-feLched, buL lL ls Lrue, lL ls posslble. l know lL ls
posslble, l know Lhls from personal experlence. When we come LogeLher seeklng Lo undersLand
Lhe oLher wlLh good wlll, mlracles can happen.
When all ls sald and done, Lhen, Lhere ls only one Lhlng LhaL l would ask of you more Lhan anyLhlng else:
before you [udge us, geL Lo know us.

Slncerely,




MosL 8everend SalvaLore Cordlleone
Archblshop of San lranclsco