CHICAGO (IL)
ABC 7
By Chuck Goudie
CHICAGO (WLS) — Cardinal George has a long legacy in the Chicago area.
But as with anyone in a high profile position, the legacy question depends on who you ask.
By virtue of the very issues that Cardinal George focused on, he put himself in the eye of controversy, primarily with gay rights and abortion.
And then there was the issue that dogs Catholic bishops everywhere: sexual abuse by priests. In many cities, Chicago included, how bishops respond to those cases defines a bishop’s legacy.
When Cardinal George struggled into his last Mass as Chicago archbishop, his illness and the years of juggling church conflicts were apparent.
When he was appointed by Pope John Paul II nearly 18 years ago, the church sex abuse scandal was already in full bloom.
Cardinal George vowed transparency in the Chicago Archdiocese and zero tolerance for priest offenders.
Now his sharpest critics look back, including Barbara Blaine from the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP).
“I think it’s very important that we recognize that Cardinal George’s legacy was one of commitments to protecting children and then failing to protect the children, and he admitted that he failed and yet it didn’t seem to us that he was learning from the mistakes he made,” Blaine said.
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