Former Portland bishop, scrutinized during sex abuse scandals, has died

By Jayati Ramakrishnan
Oregonian
September 26, 2019

https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2019/09/former-portland-bishop-scrutinized-during-sex-abuse-scandals-has-died.html

Pope Francis celebrates Mass at the Vatican, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019. Pope Francis celebrated a final Mass to conclude his extraordinary summit of Catholic leaders summoned to Rome for a tutorial on preventing clergy sexual abuse and protecting children from predator priests. The Mass was celebrated Sunday in the Sala Regia, one of the grand, frescoed reception rooms of the Apostolic Palace. Photo by Giuseppe Lami

A former Portland bishop who later became a cardinal died Wednesday at age 83.

William Levada was the archbishop of Portland from 1986 to 2006 and was the head of the Portland archdiocese during the sex abuse scandals that rocked the church in the mid-2000s. According to Catholic News Agency, Levada was appointed cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006.

According to The New York Times, Levada was put in charge of adjudicating sexual abuse cases involving priests all over the world. He came under scrutiny for not being as tough as he could have on abuse cases, often giving priests the benefit of the doubt and being hesitant to remove them from their positions.

The Portland archdiocese became the first in the country to declare bankruptcy to compensate victims who were sexually abused by clergy members.