Archbishop Sanchez buried at cathedral

SANTA FE (KRQE) - Sacred sounds filled the air inside and outside of St. Francis Cathedral Basilica as a procession of priests and bishops from across the Southwest started Thursday's funeral mass for Archbishop Robert Sanchez.

Brothers Rozier and Julius covered Sanchez's casket with a funeral pall for the final time as more than 1,000 mourners joined them to remember the life of the nation's first Hispanic archbishop.

The 77-year-old former archbishop of Santa Fe died in Albuquerque last Friday less than a two-hour drive from his birthplace in Socorro.

"We called him Bobby," said Frances Casis, who grew up one street from Sanchez. "We are very proud of him... There are a lot of people in Socorro that send their love."

Casis' four children were confirmed in the Catholic church by Sanchez. She drove to Santa Fe with her husband for Thursday's funeral.

Sanchez was appointed archbishop of Santa Fe in 1974 and served in that post for 19 years.

"In many ways he really brought the diverse aspects of this state together as no single human being had done for a very, very long time," said Richard Polese, who is not Catholic but felt it was important to attend.

"He was a great New Mexican," said Santa Fe Mayor David Coss. "There's a legacy of outreach to Hispanic people, to Native American people of New Mexico, to youth, to making the Catholic Church more engaged in the communities of New Mexico."

But that legacy was tarnished when it was revealed Sanchez had affairs with several women. He was also criticized for failing to stop pedophile priests from sexually abusing children in parishes across the state.

After he resigned in 1993, Sanchez was exiled from New Mexico living on a farm in Minnesota, preaching in Alaska and serving in Franciscan missions in Arizona in recent years.

Just a couple of years ago, he returned quietly to Albuquerque when his health started failing.

"You are now home, in your cathedral, with your family, friends, people and God," said Monsignor Richard Olona, who gave the homily. "Welcome home."

Sanchez's body was interred in the crypt below St. Francis Cathedral with previous archbishops of Santa Fe. His funeral is the first for an archbishop of Santa Fe since that of James Peter Davis in 1988.