Pope Accepts Resignation of Archbishop Buechlein of Indianapolis Due To Illness

WASHINGTON—Pope Benedict XVI has accepted the resignation of Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein, OSB of Indianapolis, 73, from the pastoral governance of the archdiocese for reasons of health, in accord with Canon 401.2 of the Code of Canon Law.

The resignation was publicized in Washington, September 21, by Msgr. Jean-Francis Lantheaume, Chargė d’Affaires at the Apostolic Nunciature to the United States.

Archbishop Buechlein, a member of the Benedictine order, was named archbishop of Indianapolis in 1992. He was ordained a bishop in 1987, when he was named bishop of Memphis.

A native of Jasper, Indiana, Archbishop Buechlein professed solemn vows as a Benedictine monk and was ordained a priest for the St. Meinrad Archabbey in 1964.

He holds a licentiate in sacred theology, specializing in liturgy, from the University of San Anselmo, Rome.

As a member of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Buechlein served as chair of the Ad Hoc Committee for Use of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and chair of the group for the Revision of the 4^th Edition of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops Program for Priestly Formation. He has served on the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Divine Worship and the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis.

The Indianapolis Archdiocese is in southern Indiana and includes 2,430,606 people, of whom 224,926, or nine percent, are Catholic.

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