Pope Names New Archbishop Of Chicago

[cappie]

And now, it's official – at Roman Noon, Pope retires Card George, names Blase Cupich Archbishop of Chicago.

 

Pope Francis has named Bishop Blase J. Cupich to succeed Cardinal Francis E. George as the archbishop of Chicago.

 

The Pope accepted the resignation of Cardinal George, in conformity with canon 401 of the Code of Canon Law. At the time of his nomination, Bishop Cupich was heading the Diocese of Spokane in Washington.

 

Bishop Cupich was born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1949. He earned his bachelor’s in philosophy from the College of Saint Thomas in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 1971. For the next four years, he was a seminarian at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, where he studied theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Omaha in 1975, later earning a licentiate (1979) and a doctorate (1987) in sacramental theology from the Catholic University of America.

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Among his pastoral assignments, he served as vicar at Saint Margaret Mary Parish and taught at Paul VI High School in Omaha (1975-1978). Subsequently, he served as director of the archdiocese’s Liturgy Office (1978-1981) and worked at the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington, D.C. (1981-1987). He was pastor at Saint Mary Parish in Bellevue (1987-1989) before returning to the world of education as president and rector of the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio (1989-1997). He then served as pastor at Saint Robert Bellarmine Parish in Omaha for one year, before being named bishop of Rapid City, South Dakota, in 1998. In 2010, he was named bishop of Spokane.

 

The 65-year-old bishop is currently a member of various committees of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, including the Subcommittee on the Church in Central and Eastern Europe, the National Collections Committee and the Subcommittee on the Translation of Scripture Text.

He also sits on the Board of Governors of the Catholic Extension Society and is board president of the National Catholic Education Association. +Cupich installation in Chicago set for Tuesday, Nov. 18th

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/09/20/pope_names_new_archbishop_of_chicago/1106930

 

And so, within 48 hours, Francis has made what could well end up being his whole pontificate's two most consequential English-speaking nods.

Edited September 20, 2014 by cappie

[Norseman82]

Nothing yet on the archdiocesan website.  However, I hope reports I've read about him being a "moderate" who is eschewing cultural issues are not true, because considering the climate of the city we need a leader who will "double down", especially considering there is a ballot initiative that would force insurance coverage of contraception.   

 

http://news.msn.com/us/pope-names-moderate-as-chicago-archbishop-key-role-in-us-church

[Amppax]

Nothing yet on the archdiocesan website.  However, I hope reports I've read about him being a "moderate" who is eschewing cultural issues are not true, because considering the climate of the city we need a leader who will "double down", especially considering there is a ballot initiative that would force insurance coverage of contraception.   

 

http://news.msn.com/us/pope-names-moderate-as-chicago-archbishop-key-role-in-us-church

 

https://fratres.wordpress.com/2011/09/14/say-it-aint-so-blase-spokane-bishop-cupich-restricts-priests-and-seminarians-from-pro-life-activities/comment-page-1/

 

I'm not hearing good things. This seems worrisome. 

[Amppax]

https://fratres.wordpress.com/2011/09/14/say-it-aint-so-blase-spokane-bishop-cupich-restricts-priests-and-seminarians-from-pro-life-activities/comment-page-1/

 

I'm not hearing good things. This seems worrisome. 

 

I should clarify this. The worrisome part is his seeming opposition to some pro-life work. 

[Basilisa Marie]

Okay, he told some priests not to pray outside Planned Parenthood, but he publicly criticized a senator for supporting NARAL.

 

 http://www.catholicvote.org/cupich-to-chicago-what-it-actually-means

 

That's not opposition, that's a disagreement about what kinds of "tactics" are effective.  Being pro-life doesn't mean you have to support everything every pro-life person wants to do. 

[PhuturePriest]

Okay, he told some priests not to pray outside Planned Parenthood, but he publicly criticized a senator for supporting NARAL.

 

 http://www.catholicvote.org/cupich-to-chicago-what-it-actually-means

 

That's not opposition, that's a disagreement about what kinds of "tactics" are effective.  Being pro-life doesn't mean you have to support everything every pro-life person wants to do. 

 

He forbade priests from publicly supporting the 40 Days for Life. Not only is that ludicrous, it might also be an abuse of power, though I am admittedly not an expert on the powers bishops have and don't have.

 

But really, can you expect good things from a guy whose name is literally Blase?

[Amppax]

Okay, he told some priests not to pray outside Planned Parenthood, but he publicly criticized a senator for supporting NARAL.

 

 http://www.catholicvote.org/cupich-to-chicago-what-it-actually-means

 

That's not opposition, that's a disagreement about what kinds of "tactics" are effective.  Being pro-life doesn't mean you have to support everything every pro-life person wants to do. 

 

Haha, I was just coming back to post this. :like:

[Basilisa Marie]

He forbade priests from publicly supporting the 40 Days for Life. Not only is that ludicrous, it might also be an abuse of power, though I am admittedly not an expert on the powers bishops have and don't have.

 

But really, can you expect good things from a guy whose name is literally Blase?

 

 

1. Bishops basically have all the power in their dioceses. 

 

2. Cite your claims, friend. :)  See, look, here's an article clarifying the situation: http://www.inlander.com/spokane/calling-for-calm/Content?oid=2137805

 

Some relevant parts:

 

 

When Cupich became the bishop of the Spokane diocese in the fall of 2010, he landed in a thicket of problems: The church’s image had been scarred by sexual-abuse scandals, and lawsuits had sent the diocese into bankruptcy.

 

Then another issue arose. For the last few years, a national group called 40 Days for Life had protested abortion by praying outside abortion clinics. Compared to groups that blockaded abortion clinics in Spokane a decade ago — or groups that yell scripture over megaphones today — 40 Days for Life aimed to be tame. No blockades, no gory signs. Traditionally, about a dozen Catholic priests in Spokane joined in. Several seminarians would come out every Friday, in front of Spokane’s Planned Parenthood clinic, and lead a group in praying the Catholic rosary.

 

In 2008, Bishop William Skylstad, Cupich’s predecessor, endorsed the campaign, writing, “I commend this effort and pray that abundant fruits flow from it.”

 

That was why the movement’s local leader, John Weingarten, was so surprised to hear rumors last fall that Cupich had banned priests and seminarians from praying outside clinics.

...

Finally, the diocese issued a clarifying statement on behalf of Cupich.

 

“The present political environment has become very toxic and polarizing,” especially about abortion, the statement said.

 

While Cupich wouldn’t forbid priests from praying outside the clinic, he asked priests to keep their role of “teacher” the priority. Decisions about abortion, the statement read, are not usually made in front of clinics — they’re made at “kitchen tables and in living rooms and they frequently involve a sister, daughter, relative or friend who may have been pressured or abandoned by the man who fathered the child.”

 

Priests are the public face of the church, Cupich says. He would never want a priest’s public actions to endanger their credibility and community impact.

...

“Very caustic language wears thin quickly,” Cupich says. “I think my approach works better in the long run.”

 

 

So that's what was going on. He made a practical judgment call, fully within his authority, based on what he thought were best practices. Which is his job. So. Yeah. 

Edited September 21, 2014 by Basilisa Marie

[IgnatiusofLoyola]

 

But really, can you expect good things from a guy whose name is literally Blase?

 

What's wrong with the name Blase? Someone can correct me if necessary, but I read he was named after St. Blaise, and this is a spelling variant.

 

With Chicago's long winters, being named after the patron saint of sore throats is not a bad thing.

[PhuturePriest]

What's wrong with the name Blase? Someone can correct me if necessary, but I read he was named after St. Blaise, and this is a spelling variant.

 

With Chicago's long winters, being named after the patron saint of sore throats is not a bad thing.

 

 

bla·sé

bläˈzā/

adjective

adjective: blasé

unimpressed or indifferent to something because one has experienced or seen it so often before.

"she was becoming quite blasé about the dangers"

synonyms: indifferent, unconcerned, uncaring, casual, nonchalant, offhand, uninterested, apathetic, unimpressed, unmoved, surfeited, jaded, unresponsive, phlegmatic;

informallaid-back

[Cherie]

His name is not Blasé, it's Blase. The accent mark matters. Blase (or Blaise, or insert-spelling-variant-here) is one of those names that "super Catholic" families give their kids.

[IgnatiusofLoyola]

The following was part of a much longer article in The Chicago Tribune.

 

"A native of Omaha, Neb., and one of nine children......One of Cupich’s older brothers said in an interview that the nine siblings were raised as devout Catholics. Cupich, who is of Croatian descent, has the same first name as their father and their grandfather. He was named after a saint, said the brother, Richard Cupich."

 

 

[Ash Wednesday]

My best friend chose St. Blaise as their confirmation saint. Our parish did the blessing of the throats every year. I always thought he was a pretty common saint.

 

 

My brothers and I were among many parish kids that got the giggles having those candles tickling the sides of our necks.

[TheresaThoma]

I have actually attended a talk by Bishop Cupich and got to meet him. He seemed me to be a very good bishop, firm but not extreme. The Diocese of Spokane was in big trouble and he had a lot to sort out. I can understand where he would want to focus less on certain issues as the diocese needed to heal. Did you know that the diocese had to sell their offices to be able to make payments over the lawsuits? I believe they are still only renting a portion of the building they used to own. They almost lost a couple of parishes (the courts were threatening to take the parish buildings and sell them to keep the payments current). However the diocese was able to negotiate to buy some time and they were able to keep the parishes. A very tough spot to be in and very time consuming.

Also about his statement about wanting the priests to focus on their role of teacher and where decisions are made regarding abortion I feel is spot on. I worked at a home for pregnant women for a while and many of the women had previous abortions. The biggest difference between that pregnancy and the current one is they had support. That support typically came from someone giving them a phone number before they even had to seriously think of abortion.