Archbishop vows to heal Phoenix diocese

PHOENIX — The man appointed to temporarily head the troubled Catholic Diocese of Phoenix says he'll be more than a placeholder while the Vatican searches for a new bishop.

Archbishop Michael Sheehan said his main assignment is "to bring healing and hope to the Catholic people."

The Vatican appointed Sheehan, the archbishop of Santa Fe, N.M., as interim administrator of the Phoenix diocese after accepting the resignation of Bishop Thomas O'Brien on Wednesday.

O'Brien stepped down in disgrace two days after being arrested in a fatal hit-and-run accident and two weeks after his admission that he sheltered alleged molester priests became public.

"My heart is aching but I felt I needed to step aside for you, the Catholic people, to allow the diocese to heal from what has been a painful time in our history," O'Brien said in statement released Wednesday.

Sheehan said it could take as long as a year for a new bishop to be appointed, leaving Sheehan to fill the role in addition to carrying out his duties in New Mexico.

"I love the Catholic church with all my heart and I'm here to serve the people of Phoenix with all my heart," Sheehan said.

This is not the archbishop's first troubleshooting mission.

A decade ago, Sheehan took over the Archdiocese of Santa Fe at a time when it was engulfed in chaos and staggered by a deepening sexual abuse scandal involving priests.

Sheehan was given the task of restoring trust and confidence. He removed more than 20 priests for sexual misconduct, the archdiocese settled more than 200 claims of sexual abuse by priests and Sheehan established a zero-tolerance policy for offenders.

In Phoenix, he takes the helm of a diocese battered by months of controversy involving sex abuse allegations and two weeks of turmoil centered on O'Brien.

"We can't change the past but we can do a lot about the future," Sheehan said.

At least some Catholics seemed ready to move on.

Julia Kolesar, who was attending a noon Mass at St. Francis Xavier Church, said it was right for O'Brien to step down.

"He has made decisions in this life that have cost him, and it saddens me," Kolesar said.