Pope appoints American to head doctrinal office

Pope Benedict has appointed Archbishop William J. Levada of San Francisco to succeed him in the Roman Catholic Church's top doctrinal position, which he held for 23 years before he was elected Pontiff last month.

The Vatican said yesterday Archbishop Levada, 68, would be the new prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the department that monitors Church doctrine and teachings.

The prefect is traditionally a cardinal, which means that Archbishop Levada, who has been archbishop of San Francisco since 1995, will most likely be elevated to that rank when Pope Benedict appoints new "princes" of the Church, probably later this year.

Pope Benedict's decision was significant because only a few Americans have held top posts in Vatican departments. It also showed a vote of confidence in the American Church's efforts to deal with the sexual abuse scandals of 2002.

Archbishop Levada served on a US-Vatican mixed commission that worked out the American norms on how to deal with priests accused of sexual abuse as well as on a task force on the US Church's response to dissenting Catholic politicians.

But SNAP, a US sexual abuse victims group, said in a statement they were "very dissappointed". They said Archbishop Levada had been "slow to act, harsh to victims and committed to secrecy".

Archbishop Levada worked at the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith in the Vatican from 1976 to 1982, and was part of the staff when Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict, was appointed as its head in 1981. He worked with Cardinal Ratzinger on the Church's new catechism in the early 1990s and is a well-known theologian in his own right.

In San Francisco, Archbishop Levada has had to deal with many of the issues challenging the Church's traditions and has campaigned against moves to allow same-sex marriages in California. He has insisted that opposing gay marriage is not discrimination against homosexuals.

John Allen, author of several books about the Vatican, said Pope Benedict's choice of Archbishop Levada was a good decision because of the diverse experience he has had.

Mr Allen, who is also a widely read columnist for the National Catholic Reporter, said Archbishop Levada's studies in the relationship between Church teaching authority and moral law would be a plus.

"Given the way that moral questions, especially on sexual issues and biotechnology, are among the most contentious matters the doctrinal congregation handles, it's a background that will serve Levada well," Mr Allen said.

Mr Allen said another plus was that Archbishop Levada had not spent his entire career as a professional theologian and had much experience outside the Vatican as well as inside it.

"He has risen to prominence through pastoral leadership in his home country, rather than on the back of a succession of curial (Vatican) appointments," Mr Allen said.

"That means Levada would re-enter the world of the Vatican relatively independent of the obligations and loyalties that moving up through the Vatican can engender, leaving him, at least in theory, free to make objective judgments," Mr Allen said.