Pope Francis has made his first major decision for the United States and that major decision is choosing Bishop Blase Cupich, 65, as the new Archbishop of Chicago. Cupich will be succeeding Cardinal Francis George, 77, on November 18th. George is currently battling with cancer and believes that he is not well in health to continue as Archbishop. He supports Cupich by saying, “I am relieved and grateful that now somebody who can do it full time will be in charge.”

  Although Cupich is currently the bishop of Spokane, Washington, he is eager to transition into Chicago. The Archdiocese of Chicago serves 2.3 million people, making it the third largest diocese in the country. Cupich knows that this is going to be a challenge, but it is a challenge that he gladly accepts. “I’m just going to be myself,” he says. “I can’t be anybody else but that.”

  Cupich is determined to do what Jesus Christ wants him to do for His church and for His people.

  “I have to be attentive to what Christ wants,” he says. “That will come in the voices of the people. It will come in my own prayer experience. It will come in reflecting on what has already proven to bear good fruit.”

  Cupich is the grandson of Croatian immigrants and he plans to reach out to immigrants and nonimmigrants to help support the mingling of different religions. Cupich explains that if everyone works together, then the common good can be served. Cupich says that society has become destroyed and that it needs to be fixed by everyone working together.

  “If we can offer a vision to the greater society of how a community can work together in spite of the differences that are there, to learn something from each other, then not only will we do something for the church, but we will do something for society,” he says.