continue at Chicago TribuneThere is no public "short list" for who will succeed Cardinal Francis George at the helm of the Chicago Archdiocese, and the process appears to be in the early stages. But here are some possible candidates cited by experts:
Abp. Sample
...
Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki
A retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, Listecki didn't hesitate to criticize Rep. Nancy Pelosi for her interpretation of church teaching on abortion and blast the University of Notre Dame for awarding an honorary doctorate to President Barack Obama. In 2011, the Milwaukee archdiocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing the financial toll of settling sexual abuse claims. If called to Chicago, he or Gregory would be the first archbishop to return after serving as a local priest. (Though George is a Chicago native, he served in a religious order.) "It would probably be a little on the difficult side," Schreiter said. "You could start leading the church you knew 20 years ago rather than the church now."
Portland, Ore., Archbishop Alexander King Sample
George had been Portland's archbishop for only nine months when he got the call to Chicago. Sample has been there just over a year. But like George, Sample is considered a shooting star. Not only is he among the youngest American archbishops at age 53 (some have dubbed him the "Baby Bishop"), he wasn't ordained until he turned 30, earning an engineering degree before deciding to pursue the priesthood. If longevity is the goal, Sample could be the best bet.
HT JoshD
7 comments:
just my thought but, I dont think the Holy Father who has made it clear he doesn't like airport Bishops, will move Archbishop Sample anywhere for a long while if at all.
I'm a little surprised not to see Paprocki of Springfield, IL on this list. A young, well-educated, Chicago-native who previously served as an auxillary bishop in Chicago under George, he sits on the board of directors for Mundelein seminary in Chicago and would seem to be a dark-horse candidate at worst. Maybe too conservative or inexperienced, he has a large number of seminarians for a fairly small diocese and has a great record on the child-abuse front. Would seem to be a great fit.
Agreed. I think Paprocki would be a great fit.
I'm wondering if Archbishop Sample is named after author Alexander King, a frequent guest on the Tonight show when Jack Paar was host.
As I commented in the other thread on this topic, I do think the list is strong and well-thought out, though hardly perfect.
Honestly, my only surprise on the list was actually Archbishop Sample, and while garnering what I could from the article, the implication of his "candidacy' seems to be his age and the fact that he is in Portland as Cardinal George was, however the same reason many believe he was brought to Portland in the first place actually hold true for Chicago, and maybe even in a more strong way.
Many believe that Sample went to Portland because of his passion for the Liturgy and its role in Catholic life, both in the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms, and having Oregon Catholic Press based in Portland, his leadership might help clean up some of the banality that has come from the US's largest Catholic music publisher. If that is true, there is something to be said about moving him to an archdiocese where GIA, WLP, and LTP are located, as well as the Liturgical Institute at Mundelein and John Cantius Parish and their venerable religious order. I don't know if that is enough reason to move him at such a young age to Chicago, but it could be a very interesting move.
Per Paprocki, I never really thought about it, but pondering his own credentials, he is one to consider, though admittedly a dark horse for many of the reasons articulated by YoungCatholicSTL.
On the flip side, the biggest surprise for me was Archbishop Wenski from Miami. Nothing against him as a candidate, but he's a perfect fit for Miami as a native to the area and very familiar with the languages and culture. However, his fluency in Spanish and being of Polish descent (see also, Listecki) plays very well for a Chicago candidate, I just don't see him going anywhere, but hey, they don't ask for my vote!
That being said about my vote, I personally would be very surprised to see someone not on that list get the job, though Paprocki is an interesting dark horse. Two other dark horses, the former likely more of a chance than the latter, would be Archbishop George Lucas of Omaha and Archbishop Robert Carlson of St. Louis.
We'll all see soon, and until then should pray hard!
Unfortunately, it just doesn't work this way. Archbishop Sample isn't coming to Chicago because the primary reason he went to Portland—that reason being a person who happens to be a member of the American hierarchy—is no longer in a place to significantly influence appointments in America. Had that person not been in a position to influence American episcopal appointments, Archbishop Sample wouldn't have gone to Portland, Archbishop Cordileone wouldn't have gone to San Francisco, and Archbishop Chaput wouldn't have gone to Philadelphia.
Probably true, but I don't think that person would want Sample in Chicago anyway, he would want his influence on OCP for years to come. The Portland connection with George though is interesting.
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