May 18, 2005
Archbishop William Levada
Archdiocese of San Francisco
One Peter Yorke Way
San Francisco, CA 94109
Dear Archbishop Levada:
We wish to acknowledge your appointment to become the prefect for the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The position is an important
one that will influence the direction the Catholic Church will take in
the years to come.
As an American bishop, we believe that you could have a positive effect
on the Vatican’s commitment to addressing the serious problems
plaguing that the Catholic Church in the United States. The divisions
exposed by the clergy sexual abuse crisis, and exacerbated by announcements
in the past year regarding bankruptcies and parish closings, have wounded
the spirit of many Catholics, who continue to feel a lack of spiritual
comfort and guidance. We believe that the Vatican must provide the leadership
needed to heal these wounds, and that your presence in Rome can hasten
the development of that spiritual leadership. As the last few years have
demonstrated, the creation of structures of accountability is a necessary
step for the Church to regain its credibility. Lay Catholics are taking
responsibility for their faith lives. As importantly, Catholics, through
organizations like ours, are insisting on accountability in administrative
and financial matters. It is our hope that you will understand the need
for accountability and promote it in Rome.
We know that you are aware of the concerns that many survivors of clergy
sexual abuse and lay Catholics have regarding the institutional Church’s
response to the crisis. We urge you to address the outstanding questions
regarding your transferring priests who were credibly accused of sexual
abuse. There is considerable need for bishops to take personal responsibility
for their actions. As the prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine
of the Faith, it is our hope that you will take that kind of personal
responsibility by disclosing the names of priests who have been accused,
by disclosing your involvement in concealing the abuse of priests, and
by advocating for accountability within the hierarchical Church. Additionally,
we believe you must help to expedite the hundreds of cases against accused
priests that languish at the Vatican. Both survivors and priests deserve
timely due process.
Furthermore, we hope that you can bring this commitment of accountability
to financial matters in the Church. As the former Bishop of the diocese
of Portland, Oregon, the first diocese in the United States to declare
bankruptcy, you clearly have some understanding of the financial condition
that the Church in the United States faces. The burden placed on dioceses
going through financial hardship is particularly painful for lay Catholics
who fear the loss of their faith communities. Our members, and most Catholics,
want the Church to promote Christ’s message of peace and helping
those less fortunate. But they cannot feel confident in donating money
to the Church while there is a lack of financial transparency in the
Church. We believe that you are in a position to promote the idea of
financial accountability in the Church.
Finally, as we are all Catholics who care about the future of the Church,
we hope that you will make the Church’s commitment to the primacy
of conscience a central guiding light in your new role. The Catholic
Church’s dedication to the primacy of conscience has given Catholics
the strength to speak out on issues of social justice, even when the
larger culture around them has told us we are wrong to do so, for decades
and centuries. Dialogue is, we know, an essential part of development
that conscience. We hope that you will be a part of rededicating the
Church to the doctrine of the primacy of conscience, rather than promote
an idea of faith rooted in fear and the absence of dialogue.
You are in our prayers, as is the entire Church. As we expressed to
Pope Benedict XVI, we look forward to creating a vibrant Church that
advances the message of Christ’s love for humanity.
Sincerely,
Voice of the Faithful
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