The former archbishop of San Francisco - who was one of the highest ranking officials in the Roman Catholic church for a time - has been arrested in Hawaii on suspicion of driving while drunk.
Cardinal William Joseph Levada of Menlo Park was stopped last week while driving on the Big Island, Hawaii County police spokeswoman Chris Loos said on Tuesday.
Levada was alone in his car.
He was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving and released from jail after posting $US500 ($A698.23) bail. He is due in Kona District Court on September 24.
In a statement issued through the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco, the 79-year-old Levada said he regrets his error in judgment and intends to cooperate with authorities.
Levada was stopped after a Kona patrol officer saw him swerve while driving on Queen Kaahumanu Highway, authorities said.
Levada started serving as archbishop of San Francisco in 1995.
Between May 2005 and June 2012, he served as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith under Pope Benedict XVI. He was one of the highest-ranking officials of the Roman Catholic Church.
Levada resigned the post in 2012.
Mike Brown, spokesman for the Archdiocese of San Francisco, confirmed the cardinal was on vacation in Hawaii with priest friends.
Levada is now Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and an Archbishop Emeritus of San Francisco.
