Quick Exit

Apparently faced with choices, none of them pleasant, Pope John Paul II accepted the resignation of Archbishop Robert F. Sanchez, 59, of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Accusations of sexual encounters between the Archbishop and as many as five women had hit the archdiocese like an earthquake, compounding the heavy damage already wrought by a series of sexual-misconduct allegations against lower-ranking clergy. The Pope named Bishop Michael J. Sheehan of Lubbock, Texas, as a temporary replacement to restore confidence and stability.