Roman Catholic conservatives have great hopes for the impact Pope Benedict XVI will have on the Church but a decision made early in his papacy has those same conservatives scratching their heads in disbelief. In Benedict's inexplicable decision, the Archbishop of San Francisco, William Levada, was appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith despite a background that was weak on orthodoxy, weak on courage but very strong on accommodation to San Francisco's homosexual culture.Indeed, Levada's record as Archbishop of San Francisco is regarded by many conservatives as one marked by cowardly retreat on essential doctrines and by stark failures regarding church attendance, development of schools, handling of scandal, etc. Why then would such a fellow be chosen to serve in the highest Church position ever held by an American?
Tom Bethell explores this troubling issue in a lengthy (but well worth reading) article in the New Oxford Review titled "Archbishop Levada: Advancing on the Chessboard."
