CHICAGO (IL)
The New York Times
By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
SEPT. 20, 2014
In his first major appointment in the United States, Pope Francis named Bishop Blase J. Cupich of Spokane, Wash., on Saturday to be the next archbishop of Chicago, replacing a combative conservative with a prelate whose pastoral approach to upholding church doctrine is more in keeping with the pope’s inclusive tone.
Bishop Cupich, 65, will be installed on Nov. 18 as the ninth archbishop of Chicago, succeeding Cardinal Francis George, 77, who is ill with cancer. Two years ago, at 75, Cardinal George offered his resignation, as is the church tradition at that age.
Pope Francis’ choice of prelate for Chicago was highly anticipated as a sign of the direction he intends to set for the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. Chicago is the nation’s third-largest Roman Catholic diocese, with 2.3 million members, and its archbishops have often taken leading roles in the American hierarchy.
Bishop Cupich appeared at ease in a news conference on Saturday morning in Chicago, deftly handling questions about whether he would call himself a “moderate” and what message Francis may be trying to send with the selection.
“His priority is not to send a message but a bishop, and that’s what he’s sending you, someone to serve the needs of people,” Bishop Cupich said. “I think he sent a pastor, not a messenger.” …
He said the Spokane Diocese bankruptcy, which was initiated by his predecessor, had left “some issues that need to be resolved.” The diocese has filed a malpractice suit against the law firm that handled the bankruptcy, accusing the firm of failing to use a strategy that would have prevented more sexual abuse claims from being filed. So far, about 230 claims have been filed, according to The Spokesman-Review newspaper.
The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests said it had been disappointed by Bishop Cupich’s record on sexual abuse in Spokane and his role as chairman of the bishops’ committee on child protection.
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