San Francisco has one of the largest gay communities in America and in the world. Imagine if the Vatican appointed a racist as Archbishop to a heavy African-American community, such a move will draw immense outrage and rightly so. It would be considered an act of blatant hostility against the African-American community.
Now read this:
Considered the most virulently homophobic and stridently traditional prelate in the country, Bishop Salvatore Cordileone (Bishop of Oakland) was nonetheless elevated to the rank of Archbishop of San Francisco on Friday, July 27, 2012.
http://www.opednews.com/...
Who is Cordileone?
In 2008, Cordileone and a select cadre of Catholic leaders decided that their best chance to end marriage equality was to pass an amendment to the state constitution. Cordileone found the first major donor and built a lasting fundraising network for the group. He brought in an organization to lead the petition. He activated a network of California's Catholic churches, and helped craft the Prop 8 messaging campaign, even using focus groups.
Such a move has drastic attack on the LGBT community by the Vatican, as Think Progress notes:
It is a further step in the Vatican's dedication to use Catholic doctrine to keep LGBT Americans suppressed and with fewer rights. In June, the Church publicly condemned Sister Margaret Farley, who wrote a book approving of marriage equality and advocating for comprehensive sex education. Cordileone can be relied on to side with the Vatican in such rebukes of reason and equality, and for that, the Church rewards him.
http://thinkprogress.org/...
Cordileone’s power will be far and wide. He will administer to thousands of Catholics in San Francisco many of whom are gay. His influence extends to (again from Op-Ed News):
more than a half million Catholics of San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin counties, with 416 priests, 90 deacons and 675 women religious. There are 91 parishes with 11 Missions, 60 elementary schools, 18 pre-schools and 14 high schools in the three counties of the Archdiocese of San Francisco."
Cordileone is the Christian-right’s dream candidate, for the following reasons:
As a "proponent of the Tridentine Mass"* Cordileone has evinced his disdain for the advances brought about by Vatican II, a view which is shared by the Pope. As a theologian and active jurist (assistant at the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura), he is the Christian Right's Catholic dream: he has called same-sex marriage a "plot of the evil one" and besides opposing abortion and homosexuality, he opposes contraceptives in any form.**
He also has the power to roll back many of the social-religious progress that were made by the bay area Churches or the bay area’s socially active nuns.