Vatican City - Pope Benedict has appointed Archbishop William J. Levada of San Francisco to succeed him in the Roman Catholic Church's top doctrinal position, which he held for 23 years before he was elected Pontiff last month.
The Vatican said on Friday Levada, 68, would be the new prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the department that monitors Church doctrine and teachings.
The prefect is traditionally a cardinal, which means that Levada, who has been archbishop of San Francisco since 1995, will most likely be elevated to that rank when Benedict appoints new "princes" of the Church, probably later this year.
Benedict's decision was significant because only a few Americans have held top posts in Vatican departments. It also showed a vote of confidence in the American Church's efforts to deal with the sexual abuse scandals of 2002.
Levada served on a U.S.-Vatican mixed commission that worked out the American norms on how to deal with priests accused of sexual abuse as well as on a task force on the U.S. Church's response to dissenting Catholic politicians.
But SNAP, a U.S. sexual abuse victims group, said in a statement they were "very disappointed." They said Levada had been "slow to act, harsh to victims and committed to secrecy."
Levada worked at the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith in the Vatican from 1976 to 1982, and was part of the staff when Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict, was appointed as its head in 1981.
He worked with Ratzinger on the Church's new catechism in the early 1990s and is a well-known theologian in his own right.
GAY MARRIAGE DISPUTE
In San Francisco, Levada has had to deal with many of the issues challenging the Church's traditions and has campaigned against moves to allow same-sex marriages in California.
Levada, whose archdiocese is known as America's "gay capital," has insisted that opposing gay marriage is not discrimination against homosexuals.
John Allen, author of several books about the Vatican, said Pope Benedict's choice of Levada was a good decision because of the diverse experience he has had.
Allen, who is also a widely read columnist for the National Catholic Reporter, said Levada's studies in the relationship between Church teaching authority and moral law would be a plus.
"Given the way that moral questions, especially on sexual issues and biotechnology, are among the most contentious matters the doctrinal congregation handles, its a background that will serve Levada well," Allen said.
Allen said another plus was that Levada had not spent his entire career as a professional theologian and had much experience outside the Vatican as well as inside it.
"He has risen to prominence through pastoral leadership in his home country, rather than on the back of a succession of curial (Vatican) appointments," Allen said.
"That means Levada would re-enter the world of the Vatican relatively independent of the obligations and loyalties that moving up through the Vatican can engender, leaving him, at least in theory, free to make objective judgments," Allen said.
Even while heading the San Francisco archdiocese, Levada has been a consulting member of the Congregation since 1997 and had regular working contact with the new Pope.
He has served as chairman of the committee on doctrine of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and co-chair of Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue in the United States.