WASHINGTON
Spokesman-Review
The appointment of Blase Cupich to cardinal in the Catholic Church follows a career path that rocketed ahead in the past six years – from leading a rural diocese in western South Dakota to fixing a bankrupted church in Spokane and to taking over the influential position as archbishop of Chicago.
And the pick by Pope Francis shouldn’t have surprised anyone.
“Archbishop Cupich is a very competent man and a renowned leader, and he’ll do a great job both for the church in the United States, but now really the church throughout the world, as a cardinal and a close adviser now to the Holy Father, to the Pope,” the Rev. Darrin Connall said in the moments before Sunday night Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes. …
He moved quickly, reviewing what he saw as a flawed and controversial settlement with victims that left churches exposed to future litigation and parishioners disgusted by both the actions of church leaders and the roughly $50 million used to pay victims, lawyers and other bills.
Cupich arrived, retained new legal counsel and led changes that ultimately brought closure to the case. He sued the Paine Hamblen law firm for its handling of the bankruptcy, but the case was largely dropped with a confidential and reportedly insignificant settlement.
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