SAN DIEGO (CA)
Toronto Star
Elliot Spagat and Lisa Leff
The Associated Press
SAN DIEGO—The Roman Catholic archbishop-elect of San Francisco has apologized for his arrest on suspicion of drunken driving, behaviour that he said brought “shame” and “disgrace” on himself and the church, though legal experts said was unlikely to derail his promotion.
The Rev. Salvatore Cordileone said in a statement issued Monday by his office that he was driving home from a dinner with friends in San Diego with his mother and a visiting priest friend early Saturday when he was pulled over at a checkpoint near San Diego State University.
The statement said a sobriety test showed his blood-alcohol level to be above the legal limit, although Cordileone did not reveal by how much.
“I apologize for my error in judgment and feel shame for the disgrace I have brought upon the Church and myself,” he said. “I pray that God, in His inscrutable wisdom, will bring some good out of this.” …
Cordileone took a breath test that confirmed his blood alcohol content exceeded California’s legal limit of 0.08 per cent, said Officer Mark McCullough, who declined to say by how much.
Cordileone, one of 11 people arrested at the checkpoint that night, identified himself as a priest, said McCullough. An officer did an Internet search and learned he was archbishop-elect.
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