Archbishop of Indianapolis is ‘alert’ and recovering after mild stroke

Indianapolis, Ind., Mar 23, 2011 / 03:50 am

Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein of Indianapolis suffered a mild stroke on March 18 and has been hospitalized.

Greg A. Otolski, the archdiocese’s Executive Director of Communications, reported that the archbishop’s condition was unchanged.

“He’s still in the hospital. He’s still alert, talking to doctors and meeting with people and priests from the archdiocese,” he told CNA on March 21.

The archbishop became dizzy while at home and called 911. After undergoing tests at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis, doctors determined that he had suffered a mild stroke.

Archbishop Buechlein said the day-to-day operations and ministries of the archdiocese will continue as normal while he recuperates, the archdiocese newspaper The Criterion reports. He has said he would appreciate everyone’s prayers.

The archbishop has suffered a series of health problems over the past three years. In 2008 he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and underwent several weeks of chemotherapy and radiation treatments. He is now cancer free.

In 2009 the archbishop had shoulder replacement surgery and in 2010 he had surgery to remove a benign tumor from his stomach.

Indianapolis Auxiliary Bishop Christopher J. Coyne, who was ordained on March 2, had already begun taking over some of the archbishop’s duties, such as confirmations, Otolski told CNA. There have been no changes in Coyne’s responsibilities as a result of the archbishop’s stroke.