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13-May-2005 -- Catholic World News Brief [ewtn.com]

US ARCHBISHOP TO HEAD VATICAN DOCTRINAL CONGREGATION
Vatican, May. 13 (CWNews.com) - Archbishop William Levada of San Francisco has been named by Pope Benedict XVI to become the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

A May 13 announcement from the Vatican confirmed widespread rumors that the Pope planned to nominate Archbishop Levada to fill the key doctrinal post, which he himself had held for over 20 years. The Holy Father's choice of a successor at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) was the most critical appointment of his early pontificate.

With the appointment, Archbishop Levada becomes the most influential American at the Vatican today, and arguably the most powerful American prelate in the history of the Church. As the official with primary responsibility for ensuring the preservation of doctrinal orthodoxy worldwide, he will rank second only to the Pontiff within the Vatican; the CDF is the only office that does not operate under the supervision of the Secretariat of State. Archbishop Levada is certain to be named a cardinal at the next consistory, and will be an important figure at the next papal conclave.

Several more prominent prelates had been mentioned as likely candidates for the CDF spot. Among them were: Cardinal Christoph Sch�nborn of Vienna, the principal editor of the Catechism of the Catholic Church; Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone of Genoa, the former secretary of the CDF underthen- Cardinal Ratzinger; Archbishop Angelo Amato, the current secretary of the dicastery; Archbishop Antonio Canizares Llovera of Toledo, Spain; and even the Italian theologian Bruno Forte.

Rumors about the appointment of Archbishop Levada had swirled around Rome since May 3, when the Pope received the American prelate in a private audience.

Dear Friends

I find hard to understand why Pope Benedict, who was a conservative defender of morals and fath, would appoint the Bishop of San Francisco exactly as the head of this congregation. Specialy because it's been said that he was indifferent at a certain degree, to sodomy and gender-change and all these abominations that come from that city.

Perhaps our good father is not swayed as much by rumors as we are.

Jason

Christ is Risen!! Indeed He is Risen!!!

I just had the opportunity this afternoon to speak to a clergy friend in our diocese about this appointment. He says that Abp Levada is a very sharp man, has a good reputation for being doctrinally orthodox, and will make a good leader for this Congregation.

My friend also says that His Holiness is on top of things and knows full well what needs to be done. I assume that this means that he has a good grasp of the hierarchy and the issues. My friend even ventured that no one should count this pontificate as a holding pattern. Consider that Pope John XXIII was supposed to be a holding pattern pontiff and he started the whole process that put us where we are today.

In Christ,

BOB

Archbishop Levada has been appointed to a very important position. I was surprised this did not go to Cardinal Christoph Schonborn from Austria since he has worked extensively (on the Catechism of the Catholic Church)with our present Holy Father when the former Cardinal Ratzinger was in that same position as now the present Archbishop of San Francisco will hold.

Since this office is also where the final buck passes in matters of clergy abuse it does seem good to me that an American has been appointed. Anyway, I am trusting the prayerful discernment of Pope Benedict XVI on this. He knows what it takes and he knows who is the best one for the job!

Thanks, Bob, for sharing the above.

Porter...

An elderly priest once jokingly told me the following. He said when John XXIII died, he had to spend extra time in Purgatory closing some of the church windows he had opened. All kidding aside, my understanding is that Archbishop Levada is orthodox and that he has spoken out against some of the sins prevalent in San Francisco.

Dear Mexican,

Maybe the reason the Archbishop was appointed was because by living in San Francisco he was 'very' 'very' knowledgable about the 'sins' going on in the world today.

Zenovia

Hi,

Well, first of all, I have absolute trust in the Holy Spirit. He knows what He's doing with His Church.

Second, I have no reason to mistrust the Holy Father's judgement on who should take care of the CDF. I think he knows well what the job requires.

Thirdly, very few persons I have in higher esteem than my Pastor, Monsignor William Leser. When the official news broke, he said jokingly that he was one of the very few priests in the world who could say they were classmates of three Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church. "Billy will be the third", he said, "when he is created a Cardinal next month". (Roger Cardinal Mahoney is one of the others classmates, I have no idea who is the third).

Fr. Bill said that he expects "Billy" to do great at his new job.

I am rather inclined to believe him.

Shalom,
Memo

The dicasteries of the Roman Curia, including (and especially) the CDF embody the different and multitudinal functions of the Pope as Supreme Pontiff.

Whoever is named as head of any dicastery performs a delegated function. Thus, the determination of the ability and capacity of the delegate rests soely on the principal, in this instance on the Pope.

The selection of Archbp. Levada of San Francisco was an informed choice made by the Holy Father, after sieving, I hope, the qualifications and integrity of others vetted for the job.

Any error in judgment should be attributable to the Pope and not on the candidate, unless the latter will show his inadequacy for the job while in office.

Amado

Statement of Archbishop Levada on his appointment as Prefect of CDF:

Zenit [zenit.org]

Amado

Maybe Archbishop Leveda just isn't as prejudiced as some of us.

I think this may be a little unfair to Archbishop Levada, Mexican, and a case of "guilt by association." Remember Cardinal O'Connor of New York (may he rest in peace), who was a staunch defender of orthodoxy, and who would not back down on key church teachings? At the same time, he was most compassionate to AIDS patients, to whom he personally ministered. If San Francisco is "Sodom," then New York certainly is "Gomorrah." That fact does not diminish Cardinal O'Connor's saintliness.

Here is a link to John Allen's 5/13/05 "The Word from Rome" column in the National Catholic Reporter:

http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/word/

Specifically, Allen notes the following:

"...Levada has the real-world pastoral experience of administering two complex archdioceses in Portland and San Francisco, so he would bring empathy for brother bishops facing their own pastoral difficulties. Moreover, both Portland and San Francisco are fairly liberal, post-modern environments where making the case for church teaching on many issues is a challenge, equipping Levada to play a special role in Pope Benedict's campaign to confront a 'dictatorship of relativism' in the developed West.

"...Levada has a reputation as someone with the capacity to find imaginative solutions to difficult problems. A leading case in point came in 1997, when the City of San Francisco threatened to withdraw funding from any social service agency that did not provide health benefits to domestic partners. I was in Los Angeles at the time and was assigned to cover the story, and it seemed for a brief period that the city and the church were at a stalemate. At the eleventh hour, however, Levada proposed allowing employees to designate anyone they wanted as a recipient of benefits on their health plans -- an aunt, a parent, a good friend, etc. In that sense, the church was making benefits more widely available, without endorsing same-sex relationships. One Catholic theologian at the time called the decision 'Solomonic,' though some critics still felt it fudged over the church's opposition to homosexuality.

"None of this is to suggest that Levada lacks critics. On the left, some recall Levada's efforts to 'water down' a proposed pastoral letter of American bishops on women, or his role in opposing some forms of 'inclusive language' in the translation of liturgical texts; conservatives sometimes complain that he has not cracked down on what they see as a center of 'dissent' at the Jesuit-run University of San Francisco, or that he has not been a more energetic participant in the 'culture wars,' given San Francisco's profile as a center of pro-gay activism. Sex abuse victims sometimes argue that Levada has not been sufficiently transparent or cooperative in responding to the crisis.

"It would be difficult to imagine, however, anyone who could step into the job at the CDF utterly without 'baggage.' What Levada does seem to bring is intellectual preparation and life experience well suited for the challenge of heading the doctrinal office, plus a pre-existing relationship with the pope. Given that, it's little surprise he's was the Pope's choice."

Allen also notes that Archbishop Levada has welcomed the CDF's questioning of some of the USCCB's decision-making on matters of faith.

Martin