Celebrating The Life And Work Of Chicago’s Joseph Cardinal Bernardin

FILE - In this Oct. 4, 1996 file photo, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin sits during a Mass at St. Peter’s Church in Chicago. The Archdiocese of Chicago spent decades covering up the sexual abuse of children according to documents released by Church officials last week and being made public on Tuesday, Jan 21, 2014 by victims’ attorneys. For decades, those at the highest levels of the nation’s third-largest archdiocese quietly moved priests from parish to parish and took steps to keep the abuse from becoming known outside church circles. The documents show that former Cardinals John Cody and Joseph Bernardin often approved the reassignments, though some eventually were removed from ministry. (AP Photo/Beth A. Keiser, File)
FILE - In this Oct. 4, 1996 file photo, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin sits during a Mass at St. Peter's Church in Chicago. The Archdiocese of Chicago spent decades covering up the sexual abuse of children according to documents released by Church officials last week and being made public on Tuesday, Jan 21, 2014 by victims’ attorneys. For decades, those at the highest levels of the nation’s third-largest archdiocese quietly moved priests from parish to parish and took steps to keep the abuse from becoming known outside church circles. The documents show that former Cardinals John Cody and Joseph Bernardin often approved the reassignments, though some eventually were removed from ministry. (AP Photo/Beth A. Keiser, File)
FILE - In this Oct. 4, 1996 file photo, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin sits during a Mass at St. Peter’s Church in Chicago. The Archdiocese of Chicago spent decades covering up the sexual abuse of children according to documents released by Church officials last week and being made public on Tuesday, Jan 21, 2014 by victims’ attorneys. For decades, those at the highest levels of the nation’s third-largest archdiocese quietly moved priests from parish to parish and took steps to keep the abuse from becoming known outside church circles. The documents show that former Cardinals John Cody and Joseph Bernardin often approved the reassignments, though some eventually were removed from ministry. (AP Photo/Beth A. Keiser, File)
FILE - In this Oct. 4, 1996 file photo, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin sits during a Mass at St. Peter's Church in Chicago. The Archdiocese of Chicago spent decades covering up the sexual abuse of children according to documents released by Church officials last week and being made public on Tuesday, Jan 21, 2014 by victims’ attorneys. For decades, those at the highest levels of the nation’s third-largest archdiocese quietly moved priests from parish to parish and took steps to keep the abuse from becoming known outside church circles. The documents show that former Cardinals John Cody and Joseph Bernardin often approved the reassignments, though some eventually were removed from ministry. (AP Photo/Beth A. Keiser, File)

Celebrating The Life And Work Of Chicago’s Joseph Cardinal Bernardin

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Joseph Cardinal Bernardin wasn’t born in Chicago, but he became as much a part of Chicago as the lakefront and the neighborhoods he served. Bernardin was a man of principles, and of action. He believed in the sanctity of life, not just working against abortion but against the death penalty and nuclear arms. His rise in the ranks of the Catholic Church was swift. He was the youngest bishop ever appointed in the United States. But beyond his renown as an administrator, he was at heart, a humble pastor who cared deeply for people. 

On the 20th anniversary of his passing we remember the Cardinal by talking to Steven Millies, history professor and author of the new book Joseph Bernardin: Seeking Common Ground.