Say It Isn’t So!
Archbishop Levada as Head of the CDF???

by Christopher A. Ferrara

Time Magazine has reported that Archbishop William Levada has been offered and has accepted the position of head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), the position formerly held by Pope Benedict XVI when he was Cardinal Ratzinger.

Quite simply, this is a disaster. It is also a horrendous insult to all the Catholics who suffered under Levada’s tenure as Bishop of Portland, Oregon — the first Catholic diocese in history to declare bankruptcy, due to sexual abuse suits against its many homosexual clergy — and as Archbishop of San Francisco, where Levada "compromised" on a "gay rights" measure that recognizes "domestic partnerships" between homosexuals.

As Portland’s Koin 6 TV news noted when this rumor first began circulating, Levada "was Portland archbishop from 1986 to 1995, before he left for his current job as the seventh archbishop of San Francisco." That is, he left behind a diocese ridden with sexual scandal that is now in bankruptcy.

Koin 6 also notes that after Levada became Archbishop of San Francisco, "he took a neutral position on a second anti-gay-rights initiative, saying he wanted to focus on defeating an initiative legalizing doctor-assisted suicide…" What does one thing have to do with another? Archbishop Levada simply sold out on the issue.

Incredibly enough, as head of the CDF Levada "would receive reports and recommendations from bishops and decide what steps to take" regarding the offenses committed by homosexual priests. And what did Levada do about the homosexual infiltrators in his own diocese, which is now bankrupt? Nothing. And now it seems the Vatican is about to put Levada in charge of the entire problem of homosexual predation in the Church. Incredible.

An extremely savvy friend of mine wrote to me when this rumor began circulating. He told me "I'm hoping that it’s speculation by a buddy fellow American bishop floating a trial balloon. One hand washes the other in this group — it’s called Roman politicking American style. I also think Levada has been in trouble for the way he's handled clergy abuse scandals. Most American bishops — if Benedict has not acquired a sudden attack of dementia — will be ‘lepers’ when it comes to high-level appointments." Well, it seems that one of the "lepers" has been given not only a high-level appointment, but the highest possible appointment in the entire Church, next to the Pope himself.

With the entire Catholic hierarchy to choose from, this is the man they elevate to the post of the Church’s doctrinal watchdog — a prelate who leaves behind him a trail of scandal, bankruptcy and compromise? Say it isn’t so, Pope Benedict. Say we aren’t going to have yet another pontificate that continues the ruinous postconciliar status quo. God help us if this appointment goes through.