On Tuesday, Blase Cupich was installed as the ninth archbishop of Chicago, replacing Cardinal Francis George. Archbishop Cupich isn't a cardinal yet, but as head of America's third-largest diocese, it's only a matter of time. Cupich (pronounced SOO-pitch), 65, is Pope Francis' first big appointment in the U.S. Catholic hierarchy, and along with Francis ally Cardinal Seán O'Malley of Boston, is now one of America's most liberal senior prelates.
People overuse the idea of liberal and conservative wings of the Catholic Church, but assuming, roughly, that liberals focus more on social justice issues (poverty, death penalty, peace) and conservatives focus more on socially conservative ones (contraception, abortion, gays and lesbians, culture war), Cardinal George, 77, is probably among the most conservative of the 18 U.S. cardinals.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Today's political cartoons - March 30, 2025Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - strawberry fields forever, secret files, and more
-
5 hilariously sparse cartoons about further DOGE cutsCartoons Artists take on free audits, report cards, and more
-
Following the Tea Horse Road in ChinaThe Week Recommends This network of roads and trails served as vital trading routes
-
Pope returns to Vatican after long hospital staySpeed Read Pope Francis entered the hospital on Feb. 14 and battled double pneumonia
-
Texas megachurch founder charged with sex crimesSpeed Read Robert Morris, former spiritual adviser to President Donald Trump, is accused of sexually abusing a child
-
Pope Francis suffers setback with respiratory episodesSpeed Read The 88-year-old pope continues to battle pneumonia
-
US Christianity's long decline has halted, Pew findsSpeed Read 62% of Americans call themselves Christian, a population that has been 'relatively stable' for the past five years
-
Pope Francis hospitalized with 'complex' illnessSpeed Read The Vatican says their leader has a respiratory infection, raising new concerns about his health
-
The Aga Khan, billionaire spiritual leader, dies at 88Speed Read Prince Karim Al-Hussaini's philanthropy funded hospitals, housing and schools in some of the world's poorest places
-
Biden awards Pope Francis highest US civilian honorSpeed Read President Joe Biden awarded Pope Francis the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction
-
Pope seeks inquiry on if Gaza assault is 'genocide'Speed Read In a book for the Jubilee 2025, Pope Francis considers whether Israel's war in Gaza meets the legal definition of 'genocide'
