Pastor Wayne Cordeiro of New Hope Oahu had nice things to say about Gov. Neil Abercrombie regarding same-sex marriage legislation on his Facebook page Wednesday (Aug. 28):

“I had a wonderful lunch with the Governor and he assured me that leaders of the faith community will be able to sit with him or the Attorney General to discuss the ramifications of this bill and how it will affect churches. The Governor was very open and wants to insure the rights of the people of faith. Here is the most recent news article.”

Cordeiro thanks folks for contacting their state legislators “and to the many who prayed. There will NOT be a special session held to pass the SSM bill into law at this time.”

Asked for comment, Louise Kim McCoy, the governor’s spokeswoman, told Civil Beat Thursday (Aug. 29), “The Governor did have lunch with Wayne Cordeiro yesterday. His statement yesterday speaks for itself. The Governor said no special session at this time, which is what he told everyone at the (civil rights) rally and to reporters immediately afterward, followed by the Governor’s press release.”

On a related note, Cordeiro also posted this quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer: “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.” 

Abercrombie is a great admirer of Bonhoeffer, a German theologian who was martyred by the Nazis.

Screen shot: Wayne Cordiero’s Facebook page. (Facebook)

—Chad Blair