Cardinal George hopes to continue beyond mandatory retirement date
December 27, 2011
Cardinal Francis George of Chicago will submit a letter of resignation to Pope Benedict XVI, as required by canon law, when he reaches his 75th birthday on January 16. But the cardinal said that he hopes to continue in ministry well beyond that date.
The Pope is not obligated to accept a prelate's resignation, and many bishops continue to serve well beyond the normative retirement age. Cardinal George, who won a battle with bladder cancer in 2006, now seems to be in good health and anxious to continue his work.
Cardinal George succeeded the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin as Archbishop of Chicago in 1997. He had previously served as Bishop of Yakima, Washington, and Portland, Oregon.
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