Lighting the way // Bernardin letter offers guidance to new archbishop

PORTLAND, Ore. When Francis E. George arrived in Chicago thisweek for the announcement of his appointment as archbishop, hereceived a message from the grave: a personal note from the lateJoseph Cardinal Bernardin listing his concerns and priorities for theChicago archdiocese.

"It was his last gracious gift to his church and to hissuccessor," George said in a Chicago Sun-Times interview Wednesdaynight. "It was a typically gracious Cardinal Bernardin gesture."

George earlier said there were "10 or 13" items on Bernardin'slist, including concerns about schools and relations with Chicago'sHispanic community. He said Chicago's auxiliary bishops wereprioritizing the list for him and that he would "rely heavily ontheir advice."George said he showed the list to the bishops at a dinnerTuesday night and asked them which items - he would not elaborate onBernardin's list - were the most important. They will give him ananswer on his return to Chicago April 17, when he will attend apreviously scheduled religious conference.Sitting in his personal library lined with theology andphilosophy books, George also said it may be time in Chicago - andaround the country - to "take stock" in efforts to combat "the sin ofracism.""What we ought to look at now is to see whether or not othermethods other than programs and political solutions and analyses ofthe sinfulness of racism might be necessary at this time," Georgesaid, noting that plans already are under way in the Chicagoarchdiocese for a series of meetings addressing the topic.Earlier, George offered an apology to the people of Portland,admitting he feels uncomfortable leaving after only 10 months in thearchdiocese. He added he was happy to be returning to his nativeChicago for a job that likely will earn him an appointment ascardinal.George will be in Chicago May 5 for a special prayer servicewith archdiocesan priests May 6 and his first mass May 7.In the news conference that touched on several issues, Georgediscussed his opinions about Bernardin's controversial Common Groundinitiative, which seeks to heal divisions within the church over suchissues as abortion, birth control and women as priests.Asked how he might reconcile "toeing the Vatican line" with thepeople who leave the church over disagreements on Roman Catholicdoctrine, George said, "You can't stop people from leaving thechurch. They are free agents. And it's not the Vatican line, it'sthe Catholic faith.""One good thing about Common Ground is that it is getting peoplewho aren't talking about these issues to talk about them."George also said the church must move with extreme caution inthe area of reassigning priests with histories of pedophilia. Hesaid psychologists have learned a lot in the past years about theproblem of child molesters."Most of them (psychologists) would say a pedophile should neverbe placed in a position of trust like that," he said, referring to aparish assignment where a priest might come in contact with children.But he added that some psychologists would disagree.George, who was praised for reaching out to the Hispaniccommunity while a bishop in Yakima, Wash., said he looks forward toworking with Chicago's large Mexican and Puerto Rican communities,including the problems they face in dealing with racism."I will listen to the Hispanic community because I think theyhave some concerns about the church," George said. "And I think thechurch will cooperate with them as a faith community and in workingto change what has to be changed so they can live in justice."