San Francisco Sentinel
April 3, 2010
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=67178
 |
| Cardinal William Levada pictured in San Francisco September 2008. Photo by Bill Wilson |
PORTLAND, Ore. – In a newly released court deposition, a top Vatican official who is a former Portland archbishop defends not telling Oregon parishioners about the sex abuse allegations against a priest he restored to duty.
The official, Cardinal William Levada, is the current head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and has become a central figure in defending the Vatican in its handling of abusive priests.
Levada was archbishop of the Portland Archdiocese from 1986-95.
In 2006, Levada gave a deposition as part of the proceedings into sex abuse lawsuits aimed at the church.
In a transcript of that testimony released by an attorney in the cases Friday, Levada defended his decision to restore to duty a priest who had gone through therapy for allegedly abusing teenage boys.
Jeffrey Lena, a San Francisco-based attorney for Levada, deferred immediate comment.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.