HILO, Hawaii (AP) — A man who was once one of the highest-ranking American officials of the Catholic Church had a blood alcohol level over twice the legal limit when he was arrested in August.
The Hawaii Tribune-Herald reports 79-year-old Cardinal William Joseph Levada of Menlo Park, California, pleaded no contest Jan. 25.
From 2005 to 2012, Levada served as the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in effect the Vatican’s top doctrinal official under emeritus Pope Benedict XVI. He had earlier been the Archbishop of Portland from 1986 to 1995, and then the Archbishop of San Francisco from 1995 to 2005.
Police in Hawaii say Levada was driving on the Big Island when a Kona patrol officer saw him swerve and stopped him.
Court records say the cardinal’s blood alcohol level was .168.
His driver’s license was revoked for a year.
He was ordered to pay a fine and fees totaling $462.
Levada must also pursue any recommended substance abuse treatment.
The case is scheduled for a July 8 proof of compliance hearing.
Levada said in a statement after his arrest that he regretted his error in judgment.
