Louisville Archbishop Kurtz is planning retirement

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville Archbishop Joseph Kurtz is planning for retirement after sending a required resignation to the Vatican.

Kurtz, who turned 75 Wednesday, announced that he sent a resignation letter to Pope Francis. He has served as head of the Archdiocese of Louisville since 2007. Roman Catholic Bishops are required to send in their resignation at age 75.

Kurtz, a Pennsylvania native, will retain the title of archbishop when he leaves the archdiocese, spokeswoman Cecelia Price told the Courier Journal.

“Usually an Archbishop will stay in the diocese until a successor is appointed by the Holy Father, which may take a number of months,” Price said.

Kurtz is a former bishop of Knoxville, Tennessee, and served as president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops from 2013 to 2016.

Kurtz succeeded former Louisville Archbishop Thomas Kelly, who led the archdiocese for 25 years and through a clergy abuse scandal. The archdiocese reached a $25 million settlement with more than 240 victims in 2003.

In 2019, Kurtz underwent months of treatment for bladder cancer. He has been in remission since January 2020.

The archdiocese includes 24 Kentucky counties and counts more than 200,000 Catholics as members.