Catholics of San Francisco, Meet Bishop Sanderson

Dear Catholics of San Francisco,

It has come to my attention that you are rather upset with Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone and the demands he is making upon Catholic schools in your archdiocese. Your recent letter addressed to His Holiness Pope Francis, in which you respectfully ask him to replace the Archbishop, gives powerful witness to the overwhelming divergence between the Archbishop's understanding of the Catholic faith and your own. Among those who signed the letter were Frank and Diane Pitre, who said that they hoped the letter would serve to get someone's attention. Well, I'm pleased to report that it has!

I have it on good authority that there's someone who would like very much to meet with you in the spirit of charity to discuss your shared values: Bishop Jason Sanderson. Below, I reproduce his special invitation to all who would like to experience the respect, inclusion and freedom of conscience which you so desire. I've highlighted those bits which seem most congruent with your own vision of what it means to be Church.

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His Excellence Bishop Jason Sanderson

Greetings in the Name of Christ!

Thank you for taking the time to inquire about our Church.

The Liberal Catholic Church is unlike many of the churches you have encountered and yet we are very similar to them. We are founded upon the Gospel of Love as taught us by our Lord and approach our mission to the World from that perspective and value the uniqueness of each individual. We honour and preserve both our Apostolic Succession and our Apostolic Teachings, but realise that these are ever growing and ever evolving teachings that call upon each generation to look at anew. We try to keep pace with the ever expanding knowledge of the universe that science provides and use that knowledge to better understand God's revelations to humanity.

To that end, we do not demand of our members a rigid conformity to a set of dogmas, but instead appreciate the fact that each person will have their own perspective. We are an open and inclusive church, heeding the words of Christ who calls to 'all who are weary and heavy laden' and welcome all those who approach the Lord's table with reverence and respect. We value equality and the stability of tradition and intellectual freedom.

We are also an active church, knowing that we best serve Christ when we serve others. From orphanages and schools in the various countries of Africa, to hospice and outreaches in the churches of the United States and elsewhere, as well as the simple, yet profound expression of God's love in our day to day lives, we put into practice the call of the risen Christ to go into the world and proclaim the Gospel to all.

Thank you once again for giving us the opportunity to share our message with you!

Sincerely,

+Jason 'Wolfman' Sanderson

Presiding Bishop

Liberal Catholic Church International

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P.S. Besides being a bishop of the Liberal Catholic Church, +Sanderson is also:

A beer aficionado:

A collector of carefully hand-crafted monster movie t-shirts:

And the proud owner of an impressive assortment of fine sacred tobaccos and ceremonial turkey-feather fans:

In case you're still not convinced of the man's sincerity, he was also a semi-professional wrestler:

Catholics of San Francisco, if you don't like the archbishop you have, there's no reason you shouldn't have the bishop you deserve.