John Cardinal Cody
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John Patrick Cardinal Cody (December 24, 1907 – April 25, 1982) was an American cardinal who served as the eleventh bishop and sixth archbishop of the Roman Catholic diocese of Chicago, from 1965 to 1982.
| Styles of John Cardinal Cody |
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| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
| See | Chicago |
[edit] Biography
He was born in St. Louis, Missouri to a family of Irish ancestry. He entered St. Louis Preperatory Seminary at the age of twelve, going on the North American College and the Appolinaris in Rome. He received a Ph.D. in 1928, was ordained a priest on on December 8, 1931, obtained an S.T.D. in 1932 and a J.C.D. in 1938.
On returning to the United States, he became the secretary of Archbishop John J. Glennon in St. Louis, also serving as the chaplain for St. Mary's Home for Girls. In 1940, he became chancellor of the archdiocese. He accompanied Glennon to Rome when he was named a cardinal and was on hand when Glennon died in Ireland three weeks later. He officiated at the Glennon's requiem mass.
On May 14, 1947 he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Missouri where he was ordained a bishop on July 2, 1947, with the title of bishop of Appolonia. He was appointed Coadjutor to the Bishop of Saint Joseph, Missouri on January 27, 1954. He was appointed Bishop of Kansas City-Saint Joseph, Missouri on August 29, 1956 and installed October 11, 1956. In 1961, he was relocated to New Orleans, Louisiana, where he was appointed as Coadjutor to the Archbishop on August 14, 1961, appointed Apostolic Administrator on June 1, 1962 and acceded to the See of New Orleans on November 8, 1964. He became an object of national attention as archbishop, due to his predecessor's efforts to desegregate the Catholic schools in his jurisdiction.
Cody was appointed Archbishop of Chicago, on June 16, 1965 and installed August 24, 1965. He was elevated to Cardinal on June 26, 1967. Cody's time in Chicago was marked by strife and controversy. Cody found his traditional view of episcopal authority often in conflict with a number of priests of his diocese, and some of his actions and decisions were questioned by members of the clergy and laity alike -- many of whom found themselves writing to the Vatican to express their concerns over the cardinal's administration. He again created strife and controversy the following year when he started a plan to bus minority children from the inner city to less crowded suburban Catholic schools in the Chicago area. He was praised by leaders of the black community for his support of inner city schools, but condemned by others for closing several of the least solvent inner city schools.
Cardinal Cody's position was further aggravated by thorough reporting from Chicago daily newspapers over his financial activities. His actions triggered an investigation by the U.S. attorney's office. Among the information uncovered were clues that Cody was supporting a mistress with church funds. These reports as well as his public statements and actions caused much concern by Vatican officials, including, presumably, both Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II.
The controversies were somewhat abetted as the Cardinal's health declined in the earlier 1980's, and a number of his former adversaries came to the beleaguered Cardinal's defense in his last years. Cardinal Cody died from a heart attack at the age of 74, and was subsequently interred in the Bishops’ Mausoleum at Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Hillside, Illinois. The allegations against him were before a grand jury at the time of his death, and the jury refused to return any charges, allowing the issue to die with him.
Cardinal Cody was succeeded in the summer of 1982 by Archbishop (later Cardinal) Joseph Bernardin, whose first task was to ameliorate the tense relationship between the clergy and laity with the bishop's authority. As he demonstrated so well, Cardinal Bernardin proved himself to be the healing presence the Archdiocese of Chicago so badly needed at the time, in spite of allegations surrounding his own sexual misconduct.
[edit] References
- Delaney, John J. Dictionary of American Catholic Biography. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1988.
[edit] External link
| Preceded by Edwin Vincent O'Hara |
Bishop of Kansas City-Saint Joseph 1956–1961 |
Succeeded by Charles Herman Helmsing |
| Preceded by Joseph Francis Rummel |
Archbishop of New Orleans 1962–1965 |
Succeeded by Philip Matthew Hannan |
| Preceded by Albert Cardinal Meyer |
Archbishop of Chicago 1965–1982 |
Succeeded by Joseph Cardinal Bernardin |
