William Joseph Levada

William Joseph Levada, (born 15 June, 1936 in Long Beach, California) is a bishop of the Roman Catholic Church from the United States. He is the Archbishop Emeritus of San Francisco and currently serves in the Roman Curia as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Levada's views on theology and society

Archbishop Levada's views reflect the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. To learn his views on most theological and moral questions, it is sufficient to learn the views of this church.

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With regard to certain disputed and controversial topics, the following quotes from Levada are pertinent.

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On Catholic teachers who dissent from Catholic teachings:

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:Catholic theology does not recognize the right to dissent, if by that we mean adopting conclusions which are contrary to the clear teachings of the authoritative, noninfallible magisterium and which are presented to the public in such a way as to constitute equivalently an alternative personal magisterium. (Speech to National Catholic Educational Association, 1986)

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On the question as to whether specific moral norms fall within the scope of infallibility:

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:The human process of formulating moral norms is marked by an essential dependence upon the data of human experience.... The variabilities which marked the human process of its discovery and formulation made such particular applications inherently unsuited to be considered for infallible definition.... For such formulations must remain essentially open to modification and reformulation based upon moral values as they are perceived in relation to the data and the experience which mark man's understanding of himself.... Even though there is nothing to prevent a council or a pope from extending to questions of the natural moral law from the point of view of their authority to do so, nevertheless the "prudential" certitude which characterizes the non-scriptural norms of the natural law argues against such an extension.... (Doctoral dissertation, Infallible Church Magisterium and the Natural Law, 1971)

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However, in 1995, Pope John Paul II's encyclical Evangelium Vitae did contain infallible statements regarding murder, abortion, and euthanasia. It is quite possible that Levada's views on the issue of moral norms being infallibly taught has been updated since that time.

Related Topics:
Pope John Paul II - Evangelium Vitae

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Archbishop Levada has been criticized by LGBT associations for his denunciation of same-sex marriage. He wrote in 2004:

Related Topics:
LGBT - Same-sex marriage - 2004

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:Heterosexual marriage, procreation and the nurturing of children form the bedrock of the family, and the family unit lies at the heart of every society. To extend the meaning of marriage beyond a union of a man and a woman, their procreative capacity, and their establishment of family represents a misguided understanding of marriage.

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Levada also led a march of approximately 1000 people through the streets of San Francisco in April of 2005 in protest of gay marriage.

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On Catholic politicians:

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:A Catholic, to be in full communion with the faith of the Church, must accept this teaching about the evil of abortion and euthanasia.

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On Islam:

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:If both Islam and Christianity view themselves as universal and missionary, it does not mean an impasse but an opportunity to search further into the mystery of that faith to see how it resonates and relates to the other's faith.

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