Pope appoints American to enforce doctrine

[struggle4progress]

Message from Vatican: The conservative rules are here to stay

<snip> The pope chose an old friend, San Francisco Archbishop William Levada, to be the new prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. <snip>

When the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith published a document calling homosexuality an “intrinsic disorder," Levada’s predecessor in charge of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, Archbishop John Quinn, bore the brunt of the anger of America’s largest gay and lesbian community in the mid-1980s. <snip>

Quinn was a quiet intellectual who showed leniency to various groups of practicing Catholics who lived openly gay lifestyles.

So when Pope John Paul appointed Levada to replace Quinn it was perceived by many as a condemnation of that leniency, and a repressive move on the Vatican’s part. <snip>

http://msnbc.msn.com/ID/7845420/

[meow2u3]

1. What is the press gonna call him?

God's pit bull?

[DemBones DemBones]

2. It's all up in the air as to how things will play out with

Levada, or with Benedict XVI. I was reading news at a Catholic news site that allows commentary about articles and read this:

"Also, when the San Francisco Board of Supervisors required that all City contractors (including Catholic Charities) provide full benefits (medical, retirement &c) to the "domestic partners" of all employees, Levada found a way to comply. By spending Charities money to give benefits to ANYBODY who lives with an employee. Better, at the time, than any corporation."

If true, that was as good a decision as could be made, I think. It doesn't go against Church teachings by condoning cohabitation without marriage but allows employees to provide benefits for anyone who lives with them, without questioning relationships at all.

[regnaD kciN]

3. A friend of mine was in Portland during ++Levada's tenure there...

...and reports that official harrassment of gay Roman Catholics, particularly those associated with Dignity, went off the chart under him.

When ++Ratzinger was picked by the conclave, one of my friend's greatest fears was that ++Levada, who was known to be one of the new pontiff's closest friends, would be tabbed for a major leadership position vis-a-vis the Church in the U.S. Looks like we got even more than he bargained for...

:-(