Louisville Archbishop Kurtz submits resignation to Pope Francis

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville's archbishop submitted his resignation Wednesday to Pope Francis.

Most Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz turns 75 on Aug. 18, and spokeswoman Cecelia Price said the resignation is protocol in the Code of Canon Law within the Roman Catholic Church.

"That's actually part of part of the deal when you become a bishop," Kurtz said. "You know that when you reach 75, as long as your health allows you to continue to serve, that you would submit it."

In the past, bishops had to retire at 75, but Pope Francis changed that rule in 2018. Now, bishops tender a resignation, but the Pope can decide whether it is accepted at the Vatican. Or, as Kurtz puts it, decide when is the best time to act on it, which he says is usually within a year.

"A diocesan bishop ... is requested to present his resignation from office to the Supreme Pontiff who will make provisions after he has examined all of the circumstances," Price said in a statement.

Kurtz will retain the title of archbishop even after leaving the archdiocese, Price said. It is customary for an archbishop to stay "until a successor is appointed by the Holy Father," she said. Any possible replacement appointed by Pope Francis could take months.

After a replacement is appointed, Kurtz plans to continue serving as a priest and bishop. He will also work closely with his replacement to ensure a smooth transition.

"I want to be as much of service to the next archbishop as Archbishop Kelly was to me 14 years ago. And he was good model," Kurtz said. "So I had a good model to to emulate, and I hope to be able to do that also."

Born on Aug. 18, 1946, in Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania, Kurtz was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Allentown on March 18, 1972. He served there for 27 years before becoming the Bishop of Knoxville in 1999.

Pope Benedict appointed Kurtz as the fourth archbishop and ninth bishop of the Archdiocese of Louisville on June 12, 2007. He was installed as archbishop of Louisville on Aug. 15, 2007.

Kurtz has been reflecting on his time as archbishop since submitting his resignation.

"I hope that I've been empowered and inspired leaders to take on the mind and heart of Jesus Christ in serving others," he said.

As far as the future of the Catholic church, he hopes to see celebration of the good, addressing the challenges it faces straight on and a continued effort to serve people accurately in the modern world.

"We do it by listening," he said. "We do it by our interaction with others, and, of course, we do it by being true to the truths of our faith. We don't change our teachings every day, but we do look at the way in which they're being heard and lived and how we can foster a fuller life of Christ in our church.”

Kurtz was diagnosed with prostate and bladder cancer in 2019 and underwent several rounds of treatment at Duke Cancer Center in North Carolina. Kurtz has been in remission since Jan. 2020.

Though he said he's feeling healthy and gets CAT scans every six months, Kurtz believes his recent medical history could cause Pope Francis to select a new archbishop sooner rather than later.

"I don't know whether it be weeks or will it be months, but I'm going to get up every day and do my best to serve well and kind of hold my excitement until we hear who the new archbishop will be," Kurtz said.

The Archdiocese of Louisville was founded as the Diocese of Bardstown in 1808, transferred to Louisville in 1841, and elevated to Archdiocese in 1937. It is the oldest Roman Catholic Archdiocese west of the Appalachians. The Archdiocese covers 24 counties and with more than 200,000 Catholics.

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