Cardinal Blase Cupich has worked for more than three years as archbishop of Chicago and has celebrated his one year anniversary as a cardinal. While marking these milestones, Cardinal Cupich says he would never allow his role as cardinal to replace that of archbishop, and asserts the faith of the people of Chicago is still his first priority.
CARD. BLASE CUPICH
Archbishop of Chicago
“We have undertaken a program called 'Renew my Church,' in which we are looking for a way to to reinvigorate our parishes. We have 360 of them. It's a way of looking at three things: how we build disciples, how we build communities and how we inspire witness to the Gospel through ways in which we interact with the world.”
This interaction also takes place in his parishes, as he tries to follow in Pope Francis' footsteps by welcoming refugees and migrants who come to the United States.
CARD. BLASE CUPICH
Archbishop of Chicago
'There really is a sensitivity, in Chicago especially, a truly immigrant city. We celebrate Mass in 26 languages every weekend, so we are really an immigrant city and I'm so glad that the people in Chicago are sensitive to that. But the Church will continue to speak out on behalf of immigrants and migrants.”
Due to welcoming people from every country, orientation and background to the Church, he has been labeled as a more “liberal” cardinal by some media outlets. However, he affirms he only upholds the Church's teachings, which doesn't fit into a certain political party.
CARD. BLASE CUPICH
Archbishop of Chicago
“I think the term I'd rather have is 'faithful to the teaching of the Church.' I have always tried to look for ways in which the Church is leading, Christ is leading and be faithful to that. I don't care too much about the labels people give me – and I think the pope doesn't either - what's important is to be attentive to the voice of Christ in our time. We are a witness to the transcendent nature of the transcendent call of humanity. So we're not going to fit into any mundane definition of politics.”
Thus, by not seeking to adhere to a set of rules setup by society, he is able to tackle problems across the board, such as violence, inter-religious dialogue and welcoming people from all backgrounds into the Catholic Church.
