SAN FRANCISCO (CA)
Times Daily
By KIM CURTIS
Associated Press Writer
A high-ranking Vatican official was deposed for seven hours Monday about how the Portland diocese handled priest sex abuse allegations during his tenure there.
Former Archbishop William Levada was served with a subpoena before he left for Rome last summer to take over as prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith - the position formerly held by Pope Benedict XVI. It is the highest Vatican post ever held by an American.
Plaintiffs' attorney Kelly Clark described Levada as articulate and intelligent and said it "was a productive day." Clark was prevented by a court order from discussing any specifics of the deposition, but said it was "a remarkably uncontentious deposition."