US Sexual Abuse Scandal Involvement
Some have criticized how Levada dealt with priests who had committed sexual abuse in Portland and in San Francisco.
In 1985, as a contact of Boston’s Cardinal Law about the issue, Levada was given a report by a three man panel headed by Father Tom Doyle about medical, legal, and moral issues posed by abusive clerics in an attempt to present the report to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops at their June 1985 meeting. Few days later Father Doyle was informed by Levada that their report would not be heard by the bishops. Weeks later Doyle was demoted from his post in Vatican embassy.
In an 2008 interview for Beliefnet.com Levada states:
“I personally do not accept that there has been a broad base of bishops guilty of aiding and abetting pedophiles…If I thought there were, I would certainly want to talk to them about that.”
In a response father Tom Doyle said:
”I vividly recall briefing Levada in May, 1985 when he was an auxiliary bishop, about the sexual abuse crisis. I also have seen volumes of documents and sworn testimony from depositions that clearly shows that most, probably all, bishops clearly knew that priests were raping and otherwise sexually abusing kids as far back as the 40's….and I limit it to that era because I have not gone beyond that in studying documents. So, Levada’s statement is either an outright lie or evidence of a very narrow understanding and perception of reality.
As archbishop in Portland, Levada removed Father Joseph Baccellieri, a parish priest accused of child molestation in 1992. Levada allowed him to return to duty 1994 after Baccellieri had undergone therapy and "with the proviso that he couldn't be around children and couldn't counsel adults or children". Levada did not inform parishioners or law enforcement about the allegations. Baccellieri went on to serve as a pastor or associate pastor in four Portland-area parishes between 1994 and 2001, when he went on leave to study canon law.
Read more about this topic: William Levada
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