NPR's Rick Karr reports on today's appointment of Francis E. George as Archbishop of Chicago. Rev. George, who has been Archbishop of Portland since last May, succeeds Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, who died of cancer in November. At a news conference in Chicago hours after the Vatican announced his selection, Reverend George said there was no theological distance between him and Bernardin, but he acknowledged that their leadership styles are different. Bernardin was a moderate conciliator who encouraged dialogue among dissenting factions in the church. The powerful Archdiocese of Chicago is the nation's second-largest, and the prelate who leads its 2.74 million Catholics exerts substantial influence on church policy. The new Archbishop is expected to be elevated to Cardinal, the customary rank for the head of the Chicago Archdiocese.
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