Cardinal George succession process continues during New Orleans bishop conference

NEW ORLEANS (WLS) -- Chicago's Francis Cardinal George was in New Orleans Wednesday, where the top Catholic leaders are meeting.

One of those bishops will likely become the next Archbishop of Chicago. Choosing the next Archbishop of Chicago is not the first order of business for the bishops meeting here, but the process is underway and should be completed before the end of the year.

It's evident the cardinal has regained some strength in his cancer fight, to the point where he says he'd nearly forgotten what it feels like to feel good.

New Orleans is friendly territory for Cardinal George. He studied and taught here, so he greets familiar faces after mass Wednesday evening. There was no mention of his pending retirement in the bishops' meeting, but it's an undercurrent outside the hall.

"Of course, we're very (aware) of what's going to happen in a few months," said Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller, San Antonio, Texas.

Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, is steering the process. He's the Pope's ambassador, gathering the names of candidates and vetting their backgrounds.

"Bishops tend to make their opinions known through the proper channels," said Bishop Thomas Paprocki, Springfield, Ill.

"The same spirit that elected Pope Francis is at work here," said Bishop Blase Cupich, Spokane, Wash.

Pope Francis will eventually get the final say by choosing from three finalists or picking whomever he wants- because, well, he's the pope.

In the meantime, top bishops and archbishops make their recommendations.

"Basically that's what we're looking for - Jesus with a PhD, I guess!" said Archbishop Thomas Wenski, Miami, Fla.

And Cardinal George appears ready to accept the outcome. His opinion will carry considerable weight, but when he thinks of the outcome, his humor is colored with the reality of his health condition.

"I'll be happy no matter what happens, I'll be happy," he said.

He appears to be talking as much about the end of his life as he is the end of his job, but the Cardinal went on to say that is what the joy of his faith is all about. He is about a month past his last chemo treatment, and in two weeks he will have a physical scan where the doctors will determine what his next route of treatment is going to be.