Cardinal George: Cancer treatment results 'not thoroughly encouraging'
CHICAGO (WLS) -- With less than a month until he steps down as Archbishop of Chicago, Francis Cardinal George spoke candidly about his health and his future. He continues to battle cancer, but the results of his treatment are, as he put it, "not thoroughly encouraging."
"Well, it means my life may be a lot shorter than I'd hoped it might be," Cardinal George said.
Chemotherapy didn't work, and the cardinal is now two months into experimental cancer therapy.
"Perhaps there's a little less promise than we had hoped for," Cardinal George said. "The reports coming in are not thoroughly encouraging."
This may be the last time we speak with him at this residence - the brick mansion on the Gold Coast that's been home to all of Chicago's Catholic archbishops.
"I will move out, 'cause you know, it's like the White House, when you're done being president, you move out," Cardinal George said.
Cardinal George will move to Casa Jesus, next to Holy Name Cathedral, where Spanish-speaking seminarians live. The cardinal will have a three-and-a-half room apartment on the second floor.
Archbishop Cupich hasn't said if he'll move into the brick mansion, but the transition to the new man in charge is underway, sharing information.
ABC7's Alan Krashesky asks: "As it approaches now, the date is set, of course, are you looking forward to it, even more?"
Cardinal: "Even more (laughs), well, I'm very glad, Archbishop Cupich is a very capable man, he's asking the right questions. He's preparing himself well. In the beginning I want to stay clear of everything for a while, so he can set his own tone and it can be very clear: this is the archbishop of Chicago, not me. So it's very important that I kind of step back.
He's always wanted to meet his successor, and now he has. All prior Chicago archbishops passed away and never got the chance.
This transition at the top of the Chicago Archdiocese is happening as there are rumblings about possible change in the Catholic Church.
"Not just Americans are confused, I think the whole world should be confused. The bishops are confused," Cardinal George said.
The cardinal spoke about meetings just completed in Rome, where bishops from around the world eventually decided not to endorse changes in the way the church views homosexuality, divorce and remarriage. But the discussion and debate continues.
"If you say 'I demand to be accepted no matter what I do', that's very different from saying 'I need God's mercy, please forgive me,'" Cardinal George said.
With retirement in reach, he takes comfort from the personal stories from people in the pews.
"When somebody comes and says, 'you changed my life,' even a little bit - that's what's most important. That I cherish," Cardinal George said.
The cardinal says he's hoping to travel to Spain and Rome in November to meet with other church leaders and possibly Pope Francis, but all of that depends on his health.
