UNITED STATES
Crux
By John L. Allen Jr.
Associate editor September 20, 2014
With the appointment of Blase Cupich today as the new Archbishop of Chicago, one can say that the Francis revolution in Catholicism has finally arrived in the United States.
Up to this point, one could have made the argument that the change triggered by Francis is largely a matter of a new tone and style in Rome, but one that had not yet reached down and begun to alter the culture of the church on these shores.
With the appointment of the 65-year-old Cupich, however, the American landscape has shifted.
This is the fourth appointment Francis has made to a major archdiocese since July, following earlier choices for Cologne, Germany; Madrid, Spain; and Sydney, Australia. Each pointed a direction for the church in those countries.
By now, the profile of a “Francis bishop” has come into focus: Ideologically, moderates rather than hardliners; pastorally, men who place special emphasis on concern for the poor and those at the margins; and personally, leaders who aren’t flashy personality types, with a reputation for being accessible and hands-on.
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