Cardinal's ties to group does not change neutral position

Francis Eugene Cardinal George, O.M.I.

Function: Archbishop of Chicago, Illinois, USA

Title: Cardinal Priest of S Bartolomeo all'Isola

Birthdate: Jan 16, 1937	Country: USA

Elevated: Feb 21, 1998	More information: www.catholic-hierarchy.org

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Cardinal's ties to group does not change neutral position
Oct 30, 2005
The Becket Fund's board of advisers includes Cardinal Francis George, but the Chicago Archdiocese is not on board O'Hare expansion opponents' bandwagon.

Elk Grove Times, Oct. 27 2005) Though he was unaware Cardinal George was on the Becket Fund's Board of Advisers, Jim Dwyer, Chicago Archdiocese director of media relations, said the Catholic church has no position on O'Hare expansion.

When first asked, Dwyer was unable to reconcile Cardinal George's position on Becket's advisory board and his silence on O'Hare expansion and the relocation of St. Johannes Cemetery.

Later, Dwyer acknowledged that Cardinal George is involved with the Becket Fund, but that his position with the organization does not include forming policy.

"The Cardinal is on many, many advisory boards and commissions and serves on them in an advisory capacity. That doesn't necessarily mean he supports all the policies and positions of those organizations," he said.

When asked if the Archdiocese of Chicago is opposed to the removal of bodies buried at St. Johannes, Dwyer deferred.

"The Archdiocese of Chicago has no position on O'Hare expansion, nor does it ever plan to take one," he said.

Requests for an interview with Cardinal George were declined.

When told of the statements from the Chicago Archdiocese, Elk Grove Mayor Craig Johnson said Cardinal George's apparent ambivalence over O'Hare expansion and the relocation of St. Johannes Cemetery is puzzling.

"Then why is the cardinal on their board of advisers? It seems to me that (the Archdiocese of Chicago's lack of a position) is an uninformed decision on their part. We have 24 other religious organizations that support us," he said.

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