Salvatore Cordileone, the Roman
Catholic archbishop-elect of San Francisco, was arrested on suspicion
of driving under the influence.
According to the AP, Cordileone was
taken into custody after being stopped early Saturday, August 27 in
San Diego.
The 56-year-old Cordileone apologized
for his “error in judgment” in a statement released Monday.
Pope Benedict XVI named Cordileone, who
has served as Bishop of Oakland since 2009, for the job as archbishop
last month, and he is set to assume the position in October.
Cordileone played an instrumental role
in passage of Proposition 8, California's gay marriage ban.
In 2008, Cordileone, then bishop of San
Diego, reached out to help raise $1.5 million to get the measure on
the ballot. He organized leading evangelical Christian leaders, such
as the Rev. Jim Garlow of Skyline Church, to back the amendment. And
he also donated $6,000 of his own money to the campaign.
After passage of the gay ban, he told a
Catholic radio show that “the ultimate attack of the Evil One is
the attack on marriage.”
The
AP quoted canon law experts as saying that Cordileone's arrest
probably won't delay his appointment.
(Relate: Pope
Benedict elevates anti-gay marriage Timothy Dolan to Cardinal.)