Joseph Cardinal Bernardin
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Joseph Louis Bernardin (originally Bernardini), later Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, (April 2, 1928–November 14, 1996) was the twelfth bishop (seventh archbishop) of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, serving from 1982 to 1996 (succeeded John Cardinal Cody).
He was born on April 2, 1928 in Columbia, South Carolina to a family of Italian immigrants, and ordained a priest on December 15, 1952, serving in the diocese of Charleston, South Carolina. On March 9, 1966 he was appointed Titular Bishop of Ligura and Auxiliary Bishop of the archdiocese of Atlanta, Georgia, and became the youngest bishop in the nation at the age of 38 when he was ordained a bishop on April 26, 1966. He was appointed Archbishop of Cincinnati, Ohio on November 21, 1972, where he was installed December 19, 1972, before being appointed Archbishop of Chicago, on July 10, 1982 and installed August 25, 1982. He was elevated to Cardinal on February 2, 1983, and served as archbishop until his death from pancreatic cancer at the age of 68. Until the early 1990s he was considered a possible candidate to become the first American Pope. He also served as head of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. He is interred in the Bishops Mausoleum at Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Hillside, Illinois.
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Bernardin is well known for being an early exponent of the Consistent Ethic of Life, which sees opposition to capital punishment, militarism, euthanasia and abortion as being related.
See also List of Roman Catholic Bishops and Archbishops of Chicago.
| Preceded by: John Cardinal Cody | Archbishop of Chicago 1982–1996 | Succeeded by: Francis Cardinal George |