Redemptorist Fr Gerry Moloney was editor of Reality magazine in Ireland.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's displeasure with some of the liberal content of the magazine was broken to him in May, 2011.

The CDF told the Redemptorist superior in Rome that Fr Moloney was to be removed as editor with a month's notice.

This demand was accompanied by a list of allegations and findings against the magazine.

The superior, Fr Michael Brehl, later said the CDF case was shoddy and amateur, with statements being taken out of context and a lot of "reading between the lines".

Of particular concern to the CDF was a special issue in 2009 on women in the Church.

Fr Moloney said there was no explicit call for women's ordination, "though several pieces did call for women to be given full and equal partnership in the Church".

The then-prefect of the CDF, Cardinal William Levada, became involved in the case.

The order hammered out a compromise with the CDF.

Fr Moloney could remain as editor subject to five conditions.

The conditions stipulated that he could not publish anything that was supportive of the ordination of women; critical of mandatory celibacy; in favour of general absolution; opposed to the Church's stance on homosexuality; and could be seen as disrespectful of the person of the Holy Father.

In addition, a censor would have to approve the content of every issue prior to publication.

Fr Moloney eventually resigned as editor of Reality in 2014 for medical reasons.

He said the whole affair left him dumbfounded.

He especially objected to the fact that the CDF never spoke to him personally.

Fr Moloney was one of 15 signatories to a recent letter to Pope Francis and the CDF calling for reform of the Vatican's investigation processes and for greater accountability and transparency in its methods.

Sources

• National Catholic Reporter
• Image: Abeldanger.org

Cardinal William Levada, 79, was stopped at about midnight on August 20 on the state's Big Island.

A police spokeswoman said the cardinal was pulled over after a Kona patrol officer saw him driving erratically.

Cardinal Levada was driving a 2015 Nissan Altima and was alone in the car at the time.

He was reportedly on vacation with priest friends when the arrest occurred.

After he was charged, he was released from police custody after posting US$500 bail.

The cardinal is required to appear in Kona District Court on September 24.

"I regret my error in judgment. I intend to continue fully cooperating with the authorities," Cardinal Levada said in an email statement issued on August 24 by San Francisco archdiocese.

When asked how the archdiocese handles situations like this, spokesman Michael Brown said that in this specific case, "'punishment' is not a factor".

Cardinal Levada is a former archbishop of San Francisco and before that of Portland, Oregon. He was elevated to cardinal in 2006.

In 2005, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, a post he held for seven years.

In 2012, he stepped down from presidencies of the International Theological Commission, the Pontifical Biblical Commission and the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei".

He participated in the conclave that elected Pope Francis in 2013.

In June next year, he will turn 80, after which he will not be able to vote in future conclaves to elect popes.

Sources

• Hawaii Tribune Herald
• Huffington Post
• Daily Mail
• Catholic Hierarchy
• BBC
• Image: San Francisco Archdiocese