Debate over archbishop’s vaccine comments
It was reassuring to read Joe Garofoli’s interview with Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco (Politics, Dec. 1), knowing that the archbishop understands his role in the church and in the lives of the people he serves. Joe’s article was very valuable.
Every person will eventually face God. People identifying as Catholic Christians, be they famous or not, need to hear the truths of what Cordileone shared.
I also appreciated Cordileone’s common-sense thoughts on COVID-19 vaccines that take into account one’s own doctor’s recommendation, recognizing that one way might not work for everyone.
I chose vaccination. But I will not get endless boosters, and certainly not if it was mandated or if clergymen tried to guilt me into it.
Ronna Devincenzi, Palo Alto
Just get the shot
Pope Francis characterizes receiving the COVID-19 vaccine and helping others to do so as an act of love, as much for the benefit of others as for ourselves. Nevertheless, San Francisco’s Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone refuses to be vaccinated himself. This in spite of his March 4 statement: “The increased availability of COVID-19 vaccines is already having a welcome effect in reducing the spread of this virus. I encourage everyone to be vaccinated in consultation with their physician.”
Is this just another example of hypocrisy and denial of reality by the church hierarchy? The people in the pews are getting vaccinated. When will the Catholic clergy respect the wisdom of the whole church — the people of God? The Holy Spirit speaks to and through all of us, and the lived wisdom of the faithful must not be ignored.
We are tired of Catholic officials speaking out of both sides of their mouths. Such hypocrisy by the archbishop is a grave disservice to the message of the Gospels and the credibility of Christianity.
To Archbishop Cordileone: “Man up” and get your shot.
Timothy M. Cunha, San Francisco
A different motivation
Politics is not what motivates Archbishop Cordileone: He is a spiritual leader and as such he is motivated to helping people on the road to salvation. He is a man of courage and conviction, and it doesn’t matter what the leftists in San Francisco say, he is a man of principles, and it is God he is accountable to, not the pols.
Virginia B. Hayes, San Francisco
A new ‘Day of Infamy’
On Dec. 7, I think that it is unfortunate that the designation “Day of Infamy” has already been taken. Without meaning to lessen the importance of the attack on Pearl Harbor, and its lesson for the importance of preparedness, this year we have witnessed a far more serious attack on the integrity of our nation.
I refer, of course, to the events surrounding the insurrection on Jan. 6. While the violence at the U.S. Capitol cannot compare to the destruction in Pearl Harbor, the culture that has embraced the insurrection is a far more insidious threat to our country.
That almost all leaders of one of our two political parties are comfortable with ignoring the event and, moreover, are comfortable with threatening those who would try to understand how the event came to pass, is indefensible.
The United States of 2021 is not Germany of 1933, but the parallels of an autocratic leader with a cult following who blames and condemns any who disagree should not be ignored. We do so at the peril of our democracy. I believe that Jan. 6, 2021, is a day of infamy and that we must learn and remember its lessons.
William Rosenberg, Kings Mountain
Limits on housing
Regarding “San Franciscans Weigh in on Housing” (Letters, Dec. 5): San Francisco is the second most densely populated city in the United States, exceeded only by New York City. That city has considerably greater resources, including its bedrock to build skyscrapers on, a reliable water supply and a much denser public transit infrastructure.
The Chronicle has convinced its readers that anything short of “whatever the market will bear” development is intolerable at a time when California’s precipitation is disappearing. By the time it’s clear what the market will no longer bear, we will have killed the golden goose completely.
James Compton, Walnut Creek