Dec. 31, 1996
Church 'Drained' by Lawsuits
The Associated Press
SANTA FE -- Archbishop Michael Sheehan says that settling more than 165 sex abuse cases against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santa Fe over the past few years has drained the New Mexico church.
"We have been drained and devastated financially by lawsuits and claims," said Sheehan, who replaced Archbishop Robert Sanchez in 1993 amid reports of sexual abuse in the archdiocese.
But Sheehan said he's optimistic about the future of the church.
"In spite of the troubles of the past, God is with us. We are a people of hope," he said.
Since Sheehan took over, 20 priests have been removed from the ministry and more than 165 cases of sexual abuse of children by priests have been settled. About 25 of those cases were settled this year.
The archbishop said only a few claims remain unresolved.
To pay for the settlements, Sheehan borrowed from parishes' savings accounts and sold property, including the Dominican Retreat in Albuquerque.
Although settlement amounts have not been disclosed, a 1993 letter to parishes said it cost more than $50 million to settle more than 40 cases.
The archdiocese still maintains a $32 million annual budget.
In a deposition released in September, Sanchez said he had known about cases of abuse and that he considered them a moral failing of priests but not a crime.
Although it's been a tough year for the archdiocese, Sheehan said the troubles that brought him to New Mexico are subsiding.
"We are a stronger, more purified church and perhaps a humbler church," Sheehan said.
There are 25 seminarians in New Mexico this year, up from five three years ago. And the 285,000-member archdiocese is involved in a new program to renew faith and preparations for the 400th anniversary of Catholicism in New Mexico.
