A day in the life of Archbishop-Designate Blase Cupich
SPOKANE, Wash. (WLS) -- If you want to get to know someone better, spend the day with them. One day, it turns out, is enough time to get a better understanding of the new leader for Chicago Catholics, and a growing voice on the national stage.
If you are looking for the new archbishop, you will likely find him serving meals at the Catholic Charities Homeless Shelter in Spokane. It's not a photo op; he's here nearly every week.
"He always has a smile, and how ya doing?" says Walter Denny, a homeless man who is often at the shelter.
But you can't just stand there and watch him - he'll put you to work.
"These are folks easily discarded, living at the margins of society," Cupich says. "They're on the street, they're homeless, we do our best to help them, but it seems Jesus would have priority to those people, because that's why we're called."
There are inevitable comparisons with Pope Francis: The emphasis on the poor, the new Archbishop's decision not to live in the Northside mansion that some call the "House of 19 Chimneys." So was he the Pope's handpicked choice for Chicago?
"The pope has never met me, I've never talked to him," he says. "He wouldn't know me, he wouldn't pick me out of a line of criminals."
But the Pope selected him for the archdiocese of Chicago, so surely someone must know him.
"Yes, that's true," he says. "Maybe someday, when I get to talk to him I'll find out."
In the meantime, the archbishop has lots of territory to cover, driving a Toyota Camry over the eastern third of Washington State.
Wondering how many tickets he can get for his large family to attend his Chicago installation mass?
"I got a text for mine of my nephews, it didn't say can you get us to the installation, it said, can you get us Bears tickets?" he laughs.
On this particular night, the archbishop has good reason to drive more than two hours to southern Washington State. It's the big football rivalry between the two catholic high schools in Pasco and Walla Walla, affectionately called "The Holy Bowl."
He sits in the stands with the high school kids, carefully avoiding favoritism to either the Jaguars of Tri-Cities Prep or the DeSales Irish.
"I sit with the visiting team for the first half, then I cross over and sit with the home team during the second half," he explains.
He pulls off touchdown diplomacy that would make a Chicago politician envious. A necessary skill, as the Pope leads the Catholic Church into discussions on the thorny issues of same-sex relationships, divorce and remarriage.
"We're going to listen to everybody," he says. "It's not about taking a poll or a democratic process on voting on doctrine. At the same time, we do have to listen to each other."
He says he's excited about what the Pope has started.
Archbishop Cupich has already decided that he'll spend his first four Sundays here at different parishes scattered across the archdiocese. He wants to get to know the people, and they will certainly get to know him.
WATCH: A Candid conversation with Archbishop-Designate Blase Cupich
