Two years after leaving Spokane, ‘renowned leader’ called to advise pope
The appointment of Blase Cupich to cardinal in the Catholic Church follows a career path that rocketed ahead in the past six years – from leading a rural diocese in western South Dakota to fixing a bankrupted church in Spokane and to taking over the influential position as archbishop of Chicago.
And the pick by Pope Francis shouldn’t have surprised anyone.
“Archbishop Cupich is a very competent man and a renowned leader, and he’ll do a great job both for the church in the United States, but now really the church throughout the world, as a cardinal and a close adviser now to the Holy Father, to the Pope,” the Rev. Darrin Connall said in the moments before Sunday night Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes.
Before he was named archbishop of Chicago, the third-largest Catholic diocese in the United States, two years ago, Cupich was called to Spokane to fix a diocese struggling with the aftermath of bankruptcy brought about by lawsuits filed after decades of child sex abuse by clergy.
He moved quickly, reviewing what he saw as a flawed and controversial settlement with victims that left churches exposed to future litigation and parishioners disgusted by both the actions of church leaders and the roughly $50 million used to pay victims, lawyers and other bills.
Cupich arrived, retained new legal counsel and led changes that ultimately brought closure to the case. He sued the Paine Hamblen law firm for its handling of the bankruptcy, but the case was largely dropped with a confidential and reportedly insignificant settlement.
Cupich gained a reputation as a capable administrator open to opposing views. Though he focused on restoring the church’s finances in Spokane, he also paid attention to schools by creating what is called the Nazareth Guild, Connall said.
“Spokane will always have a place in my heart,” Cupich said before he was installed as Chicago’s new archbishop in November 2014.
Cupich, 67, was ordained in 1975. He has been considered one of the church’s thought leaders in responding to crisis and preserving mission. His reputation is one of a pragmatist. He chooses words and strategy carefully and has made decisions that have earned him the tag of a moderate among Catholic leaders.
Before he came to Spokane in 2010, he was the bishop for 12 years in Rapid City, South Dakota, where he traveled and ministered to a rural diocese that included the tourism towns of the Black Hills to ranching communities and sprawling Indian reservations. He was chairman of the Bishops’ Committee on the Protection for Children and Young People.
Arriving in Spokane, Cupich was undaunted by the challenges of leading the cash-strapped church in the aftermath of the bankruptcy.
“The important thing is mission, not money,” Cupich said. “If you get mission right, money follows.”
Cupich earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of St. Thomas in 1971. He went to seminary at North American College and Gregorian University in Rome.