Archbishop of Santa Fe says he will submit resignation this year when he turns 75

Archbishop of Santa Fe Michael Sheehan announced Sunday he will resign later this year, citing church rules that will require him to submit his resignation on his 75thbirthday.

In a recorded message played to parishioners, Sheehan said he will write the letter on his birthday inJuly.

“At that time I must submit my resignation letter to the Holy See,” he said. “It may take a while for my successor to beappointed.”

It will up to Pope Francis on when to accept the resignation and when to appoint a successor, archdiocese officialssaid.

Sheehan, who is celebrating the 50th anniversary in the priesthood this summer, said he hoped that the new archbishop would be in place by2015.

Sheehan became Archbishop of Santa Fe in 1993, a few months after then-Archbishop Robert Sanchez resigned amid allegations of sexual relations with women. He led abuse investigations, removed priests and oversaw the financial consequences oflawsuits.

Lawsuits mounted against the archdiocese in the early years of the sex abuse scandal that would rock the Roman Catholic Church, nationally andinternationally.

Sheehan said in 2002 that the archdiocese dealt with 187 lawsuits during the 1990s and removed more than 20 priests accused of sexual misconduct. The archdiocese has not provided a complete estimate of lawsuit costs, but in a 1993 letter to parishes, it estimated that it had paid more than $50 million to settlelawsuits.

The Archdiocese of Santa Fe includes more than 300,000 Catholics in central and northern NewMexico.