PORTLAND (OR)
The Oregonian
Thursday, July 28, 2005
STEVE WOODWARD
The judge in the Archdiocese of Portland's bankruptcy has agreed to let former Portland Archbishop William J. Levada skip an August date to answer questions under oath about how the church handles child sexual-abuse allegations.
In return, the newly named No. 3 official in the Roman Catholic Church must personally guarantee that he'll make himself available in January to undergo questioning by lawyers for priest sex-abuse plaintiffs in Oregon. In addition, he must agree not to claim diplomatic immunity as a high-ranking official of the Vatican.
Levada has until Tuesday to respond. Otherwise, his deposition in Hayward, Calif., is expected to proceed as scheduled Aug. 12, five days before he resigns as Archbishop of San Francisco and moves to Rome.