Levada agrees…could he have avoided the scene last week?

During a farewell Mass last Sunday in San Francisco, Levada was served with a subpoena to take his deposition on Friday.

But Erin Olson, a Portland attorney who represents Oregon victims of alleged priest sex abuse, said Wednesday that Levada has agreed to accept U.S. Bankruptcy Court jurisdiction over his deposition after he assumes his Vatican post.

The agreement restores the original plan to take the deposition in January that Levada had rejected by refusing to agree to certain conditions, including whether he would waive any claim of diplomatic immunity after taking his post in Rome and would allow the bankruptcy court to determine the scope of the questions.

"He now has personally signed acceptance of receipt of the subpoena and he has agreed that U.S. courts will have jurisdiction and that the subpoena will be legally enforceable," Olson said.