YouSaid · the spoken record

Blase J. Cupich

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64

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2017-12-21

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2017-12-21

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1. “It also speaks, I think, to the importance of the media to also be true to itself. There is a moment in the movie spotlight in which they had to admit of the Boston Globe that they passed on this story early on in Denton dig down deep and allow themselves in some way to be compromised in telling the story when in fact they had a lot of the facts. It's important, I think, for the media not only to be free, but also to be responsible in following these stories as soon as they find out about them”

   2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

2. “Ender the priesthood to help the poor. He worked when he was in Springfield, Cape Girardo, and also a member of the Bishop's Conference to bring people together on an ecumenical basis. He surely was a very strong force against racism and racial bigotry. He looked for ways too in which we could normalize relations with Cuba and lift the embargo. He had, I think, an approach to international issues that was very refreshing and was important at his time. So really it is a tragedy that a man who had so many good things to offer suffered from this blind spot, as he called it in his later life, that brought about tremendous hurt and injury to victims.”

   2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

3. “Well, I think we see in all of the obits that have been issued in statements. The time that he served when church leaders neglected to protect children will be, I think, always at the top of his legacy. He'll be remembered for that. And I think that's important to recognize that it was a pivotal moment in not only Boston, but the United States when all of that came and surfaced. In fact, I've always felt that that kind of transparency, although it's very painful, is very much needed. It allows victims to come forward and receive healing. So I've always championed people to have that openness and transparency. At the same time, I have to recognize too that he was a man who was motivated.”

   2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

4. “So, the Bishop's Conference has severely criticized this legislation and made a case to the President to take into consideration those concerns before signing the bill.”

   2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

5. “Well, the joint tax commission estimated that charitable giving would drop by $13 billion as a result of this bill. That was put in the statement today issued by our bishops conference. In addition to that, however, by getting rid of the personal exemption, that's going to have an impact on families, middle-class families. We also know that from the Joint Tax Commission, they're estimating that the burden on the poor and the middle class will rise in time with this tax legislation. So there are a lot of problems with this bill. Yes, the standard deduction has been doubled. That's helpful. But we also have increased the debt significantly. And there is a fear expressed by our bishops conference that that is going to be made up in entitlement cuts or some other way that would affect those who are weakest in society.”

   2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

6. “For the people feel that. They say we're American citizens too. And so we should also count. That was a widespread feeling that was expressed by a lot of folks as though they were abandoned or left unattended. The reasons for that, I don't know. Yes, it's true that it's off the mainland and apart from where we are, but I would imagine if a hurricane hit Hawaii, we would be there with resources. They're as much American citizens as the people in Hawaii or on the mainland.”

   2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

7. “I was in Mayz, which they told me there that they're the last since they're the furthest away from San Juan to get attention ordinarily. And it was clear that they had that feeling about the hurricane relief. And so they're taking some initiative on their own part, and we're helping them. But the second thing is that I think the communication could be impacted very positively if they used churches and other organizations that have large footprint in the”

   2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

8. “Yes, hi. We all have. So I think that kind of game plan where it's, even if it has to be adjusted in time, I think people are just wondering when are they going to get help?”

   2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

9. “I think that the resources are available. I think the distribution is an issue. I proposed to, I think, step set would be very helpful. The first would be that whatever their game plan is in FEMA and bringing people back up to speed, they need to share that widely. I think people are kind of like sitting on an airplane on the tarmac not knowing when the plane is going to take off for them.”

   2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

10. “Well, I had the impression as I toured the entire island which I did visiting all of the bishops in the various dioceses, that it looked like it was carpet bombed. There wasn't an area that was left unscathed. Houses, schools, churches, the trees that are so beautifully gracing the island were down power lines, talking to people as well where we have, at least when I was there, half of the island still without electricity and a good third without running water. It looked like really a disaster area that could bring much more suffering if we don't have a quick remedy to these systemic problems. The people at the same time are very generous and joyful. They're not daunted by this. They're not looking. For a handout, but a hand up, and I found them to be really engaging and appreciative of the visit that I paid on behalf of the Pope.”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

11. “Well, I think every president has to look at how they are going to govern in a way that's going to bring people together. I think that's a metric that I usually use when I think about the moral impact of a leader, whether it's of a country or in a state or local government. How are they using their influence to govern in such a way that brings people together? I think that he's hearing criticism from his own party that that's not happening. And my hope would be that the people who are with him in the administration would put that as a priority. How is it not that you're going to win a political battle on a particular issue, but how is the lens through which you govern going to, first of all, set as priority Serving the common good and bringing people together. I think that to the degree that that doesn't happen, there is a moral failure.”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

12. “Well, I think it would be a horrible injustice not to fix this problem. We have 800,000 young people who came here not of their own volition, but by their parents know no other country and culture, and now to say that they're going to be deported simply because there's a failure resolved to humanly and humanely deal with this issue would be a great tragedy. We're fighting every day for this and trying to get this on the agenda for the House and the Senate to deal with. It has to be fixed. And if it's not by March, we're going to have thousands of young people every week who are going to be liable for deportation. And the government has the information on them. That should not be. We have to rise up and make sure that we do not allow this to happen. This problem should be fixed.”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

13. “Well, first of all, I think that the opposition to him within the church or outside is loud but not large. So I don't panic about that at all. I think that he has wide approval not only among Catholics and Catholic bishops and the cardinals. I know a good number of the cardinals, and I know that he would win hands down. He's very well loved and the rest of the world as well. So I think that he's setting in motion a reform of the church, particularly the way the church operates in a way that makes sense to a lot of people. And he wants to do it, as he said, in a way that's going to make it permanent. So I have no hesitation at all about where we're going in the future. He just turned 81. Yesterday on Sunday. He's very vigorous. So as I say, vivil papa.”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

14. “Fall where they are. So I don't know if you can really attribute this to some sort of rebuke of the Pope or even me personally until I have a chance to talk to people about it.”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

15. “But I think that I ran against an archbishop who was involved in the pro-life committee for a number of years. I have never been. I was asked to run because, as I said, they needed a cardinal for this. I initially begged off and said, you know, I really have so much going on. But then I did say that I would be a part of this. He's a good man who is dedicated to the protection of human life. He is somebody I think that the bishops know from that standpoint and recognize as someone who has been involved. So for me, I have always said in my over many years that I don't ask for anything and I don't refuse anything. They want me to run for office, I will do it, and then let the chance.”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

16. “Well, as I said at the time, unless I have a conversation with the people who voted, I really can't say what motivated them. Maybe some felt sorry that I already had too much on my plate and wanted to spare me this extra. I'm sure that was it. I'm sure that was.”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

17. “Well, I can say that just looking at how many kids choose our schools, send their kids to our religious education programs, seems to indicate to me that there is a confidence that their children are going to be in safest, are safe in our environments. And that's for good reason. We have background checks on anybody who has any kind of relationship with a child. We have a code of conduct. We do training of people. We do training of kids to recognize it and parents. So I think that we have, and we also measure ourselves by an outside firm that comes in and audits, how are we following our procedures? So I think that we have gone a long way. And there are many things I think that the rest of society could learn from this very painful moment in our own history. of how we're doing is the fact that parents are bringing their kids to our programs and trusting that your”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

18. “It was, but also it was not just a cover-up, it was also a tone deafness of how this abuse harmed children and had an impact on him. I think even the world psychology had no idea and never talked about this. So the adult world failed to protect children. The adult world failed to see that these kinds of crimes have a lasting impact on kids.”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

19. “It was part of a society at that time for whether it's police, politicians, priests, people and law profession or high professions to kind of circle the wagons and not be transparent about these things. Well, we're seeing, of course, all of that falling apart right now with these kinds of claims of abuse of sexual harassment and so on. We're just peeling back, I think, the situation, the scene here, where a lot of people felt that they were protected group who had special privileges and in some way were not accountable. I think what has happened to the church in this regard has been very positive in the sense that we have put light into these situations and maybe sent a signal that society as well can't put up with any Kind of hidden life, a double life.”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

20. “It had an enormous impact from a number of standpoints. I think first of all, it wasn't the fact that there was a cleric who sinned in this way. That was bad enough. But it was the fact that leadership didn't deal with it in a way that trusted people, where they would go to parents and say, this was done, and this is what we're going to take care of, and we're going to be very transparent and open about it. Instead, it was a matter of not seeing the harm that was done to children, looking for a way in which the broader community would be protected from the quote-unquote shame and scandal that was there. And it was a whole different environment, though. We know from John Jay report that”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

21. “Well, I think we're really not, I don't think that we have all the answers to why this is a development society that's happened in the last few years, for instance, in the last 20 years, we've lost probably about 20% of the people who regularly come to mass. It doesn't mean we've lost them for good, but they're not as frequent. I think, first of all, we live in a society today where there are a lot of options on the weekends for people. There weren't in the past. We have all sorts of things that entertain us, sports, to other kinds of ways in which we're entertained. People travel more. Part of it too is when I grew up, it was a family event. Families now are detached from each other. In our own family of the nine children, only four remain in Omaha. So people are different places. And I think when you see that the ways in which”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

22. “If we really want people to be a part of the future, we have to ask them to share their gifts and their talents, not just their pocketbooks.”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

23. “Of values and laws and regulations, but there is an embrace of those laws, regulations and morals that's much stronger if people can self appropriate it, that if they can own it themselves. We do that with our children when we raise them. There is only so much a parent can do in raising a teenager. There's a moment in which there has to be a real trust there for that person to grow, that young person to grow, make their mistakes, but also then take what they have learned and make it their own. I think that we're coming out of the teenage years of the life of the church, where maybe it wasn't treating people as infants. Maybe we were treating people like teenagers that we didn't trust and had to tell what to do all the time. And there wasn't that willingness to let them go off into their adult years. We need that kind of leadership in the life of the church.”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

24. “Well, I think that this has been growing since the Second Vatican Council, where when John XXIII said he wanted to open the windows to let some fresh air in, that fresh air was moving the church and the members of the church in a direction that, and the council documents talked about this, about how we, each of us, have co-responsibility for the life of the church, life of each other, and life of the world. And so we have to step up. It's not just the pay, pray, and obey church where clerics would tell the lay people what to do and then ask people to pay for it, and that they would expect radical obedience right away to everything that was said. And it's not in any way to diminish the importance.”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

25. “Yes, I am. I think that I'm concerned about it not only for the individual people who are going to lose it as a result, but also for our hospital system. We have a lot of Catholic hospitals. They're non-for-profit, and they take the intigent. And until the Affordable Care Act, there was no reimbursement at all. And so they had to deal with it on their bottom line and put their hospitals at risk. I think it's going to have a great impact on regional small hospitals in rural areas. From my reading and talking to people who are Catholic Health Association, our hospitals are in trouble. And if we now pull this many people out of the insurance plans where there is not going to be any funding or reimbursement, especially for people who are indigent, that's going to, some systems will collapse.”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

26. “Scales, but it is the income inequality within our country and the income distribution. I don't think that as we look at a bill that does favor folks who are at the high end, that you're going to see that taking place here. I think that income inequality is going to continue to gnaw at our country. And voters will, I think, are smart enough to pick that up as time goes on. I'm not going to debate political or economic theories back and forth because I hear economists on both sides of the fence arguing for or against this present legislation. But I will have to see whether or not a bill like this is really going to deal with the basic problem of income inequality. In our country. It's not just about jobs. That's the key issue that I see. And I think was at issue in the last election.”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

27. “Well, a budget is a moral document because you demonstrate what your values are by which you're going to fund every home has a budget. And so you decide how you're going to spend your resources in a way that's for the common good of that family. It's the same too with the nation. So a budget is a moral document. It's not neutral. As I see from what I read, this bill is fostered or promoted as a way of developing the economy. People are going to have more money at the top end and they're going to invest in companies that are going to produce more jobs and so on. I think that's the narrative that's out there. For me, it's not so much that the difficulty, yes, there is some unemployment that we have to deal with and better jobs and ways.”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

28. “For example. It's going to take leaders with some political courage to say for the good of our country, we need to move in a different direction. But I think my voice and the voice of others needs to be out there. That's why I speak out about this, because I'm trying to prompt not just the people who vote, but leaders to really have some political courage in moving this issue forward. It's not happening, unfortunately.”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

29. “Well, I think leaders who are in the church and society need to step forward and continue to do this. We do live in a democracy and these issues have to be debated. But I would say that the members of Congress, when they vote for it, if they would poll their people by and large, not just the ones maybe who voted for them, they would not have that kind of support.”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

30. “allowing the people who have those resources to back political campaigns to control the agenda. And I think that's why we need campaign finance reform.”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

31. “Well, I just see it. You just mentioned what's going on in the House right now. That's not because each one of these members of the House are personally motivated for this. This is not the burning issue in their heart or the reason that they ran for Congress. There's a lot of money-changing hands here with regard to political support that they receive from the gun lobby and ways in which, too, the gun lobby uses rhetoric that makes people afraid. I think the elected officials have to take, after Sandy Hook, how is it that we really can't deal with this when all those children were killed? Those lives were snuffed out. Those parents are crying out in anguish for some sort of five years now, nothing has happened, for some sort of justice in the system. So I just think that we're really...”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

32. “Selling those kinds of guns to people. And there's no reason why we need that kind of weaponry. Why not have bazookas or surface terror missiles in? I mean, if you want to say you can have any weapon you want, why have any restriction like that? Well, it's because of public safety. We're not at war with each other, and we shouldn't have weapons to declare war on each other.”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

33. “Yes, we see it every day here. I don't know if you saw the story here in Chicago, but there was a young man who was 17 years old who came here from Puerto Rico to find work because of the devastation with the storms or the hurricanes. And his name is Michael. Michael was walking to work to car wash. He came to live with his grandmother. An AK-47 carried by someone, opened fire on him, shot him 10 times. I visited him in the hospital. He is recovering. He still has a long way to go. But this was a random shooting by someone who had an automatic weapon in their hands to declare war in the middle of a town, of a city, part of our city, that was otherwise peaceful. There's a lot of money in this city.”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

34. “With climate change, where the rainforests are being depleted, all of those issues have to do with survivability of people of this planet that we are given as our common home, as the Pope calls it. So I think that they're disagreeing not only with Pope Francis, but with scientists by and large around the world who are very clear about the catastrophe that's upon us if we don't address this issue.”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

35. “Well, I couldn't disagree more. I think that this is an issue, a life issue. People say that the right to life of a child is foundational to our teaching on respect for human life. And that's true. But if, in fact, a foundation of a house is such that that house is an environment where the rest of the neighborhoods on fire, then it doesn't make any sense to argue only for the foundation. That's what we're talking about here with regard to the environment and climate control, climate change. This is threatening the survivability of this planet, and it's going to impact the poorest among us with rising sea levels, people who are living in very desperate situations, the aridity that comes”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

36. “Well, I do. I think you've got to keep your moral center about this and realize that we're all human beings that are struggling through life, whether it's gay people or people who have physician about abortion that you disagree with, or even the death penalty, climate change, the Paris Accords. We spoke out strongly against the action of the United States government withdrawing. So I think that you can't personalize it. But there's something else that you mentioned here that triggered a thought in me that we shouldn't overlook here. There's a lot of money involved in keeping us divided. People are raising money on these issues and enhancing their own financial situation as a result. I think money in our political system today is one of the root causes of our divisiveness because you're fueling all of that. We need campaign finance reform, I think, in order to...”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

37. “Well, as I said in a talk that I gave at commemorating the work of Cardinal Bernadini and my predecessor at Lion University, I think it's much worse than being divided over issues. I think we're at a stage now where people look upon someone who disagrees with them as the enemy. So we are divided amongst ourselves as people, not just over issues. And that's what's very dangerous. We look upon someone else as a Democrat, Republican, as the enemy, rather than as citizens who are working for the common good. That's a new development, I think. We're seeing that in our country. The real kind of patriotism that should unite us is wearing thin. That fabric is wearing thin in our country. And so I think that it was Aristotle himself who said that democracies depend on friendships. We're losing the ability to have friendships in society.”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

38. “talk about the issues. So I thought it hurt the pro-life cause to do something like that. But I wasn't against people demonstrating that surely is their right as a citizen to do to make their views known that way. But it was those two issues that prompted me to take that action.”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

39. “Well, it may have been termed moderate, but I also say humane. I'm trying to look at the life of the person who's going through these decisions. But in that particular instance, I wasn't against the demonstrations or people doing these things. What I did oppose is that our priest would be in the middle of leading this because I wanted our priest to be available pastorally to people who are suffering. And so if people wanted to go and protest, that surely was their right and they could do it. But the second part is that sometimes these people would be protesting in such a way that they would have very graphic images of aborted fetuses. That from my standpoint just alienates people on both sides from being able to have any kind of civil discourse. I just think that it's so inflammatory that it doesn't allow people to sit down.”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

40. “A certain way that you cannot receive the Eucharist is against our tradition and the way that we pastorally deal with sensitive issues.”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

41. “Well, in fact, I don't think the majority of bishops agreed with that either because in our document Faithful Citizenship, when we debated about that to include that, that was widely rejected. So I think that I was in the plurality on that issue. And we all believe that those kinds of issues should not be dealt with at the community rail. Those are serious issues. You cannot in some way prejudge how a person comes to a conclusion without actually sitting down and talking to them about it. I do think that folks who advocate for public policy that threatens the life of the unborn deserve our attention in a special way to have a conversation about. But I think that to go ahead and categorically, in a preemptive way, say because you vote”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

42. “You're firm, and yet at the same time, you're not competitive. It was a schooling on how to approach life as it really is, and yet keeping your principles at the same time. It was a great balance and a wonderful educational experience.”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

43. “Well, I did learn a lot about the working of how governments talk to each other, and it was in 1984 that diplomatic relations were established, and I was there diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the White House. And I was a part of all of that. I had a good mentor in the Nunciel Carnalagi, who had a wonderful system of everyday bringing the whole staff in and going through the mail. It was called a congressso, a meeting. And he wanted everybody to weigh in. And it was a teaching. It was almost a seminar about how we should deal with difficult problems. What's the right way of going through the thorny issues that were presented to him and how would he proceed? So I had seven years of that kind of training of making sure that you bring balance to a discussion.”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

44. “And so he said, Well, fine, then I'm going to write him and tell him I want you to, for two more years, and you can work here and complete your doctorate. So he wanted me to finish it. I didn't know this, but I think he had in mind that after a few years of going back in the diocese, he would have me appointed as the rector of the Pontifical Seminary in Clemus, Ohio. So it was more in his mind of that kind of administrative position rather than teaching that he had in mind.”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

45. “Yes, well, it happened this way. I love teaching. In fact, my first assignment, the parish said, if you want to get to know the people, and parish go to the school. So I was in school almost every day in ITO in high school as well. I like teaching. So then there was a point in time when I was asked to join the staff at the papal delegation in Washington. I was there for really virtually all the 80s. And I decided that I would continue my education part-time at Catholic U to see whether or not I would be able to come close to earning my doctorate because I wanted to teach at the higher level. And I was able to do that by 1987. In fact, my term of service at the Papal Delegation ended after five years. And the Nuncio at that time, Carnal Lagi, later Carnalagi, asked if I was going to stay and finish. And I said, well, no, the Archfish wants me to come home.”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

46. “Their grandchildren married their grandchildren sometimes. And so I have had more than enough experiences in life where that bigger family has been experienced by me”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

47. “Well, it was the whole business first of all of not having your own family, being able to in some way channel those aspirations of having family life and children and working in a relationship with a spouse that was very attractive since I had good modeling of that in my own parents. So I think I had to make a decision, but it was clear to me that the way that I could be of service and use my talents and abilities seemed to be calling to something beyond my own having my own family. And I've experienced that, I would say, as a pastor of a parish, the people that I am closest to are those who were part of the first parish that I was assigned to in Alma in 1975. I have kept close to them, baptized their children.”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

48. “School, I had some scholarships in my senior year. But then people began to talk to me about you should consider priesthood. And I always had that in the back of my head anyway. So I decided to go. And I had two brothers who were in the seminary at one time. They decided to leave.”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

49. “Well, my parents always said to us, you know, when you think about your life, don't take off the table serving the church in some way, whether that's a teacher or religious or a priest. And it wasn't pushed, but it was just out there as, you know, when you think about your life, think about how you're going to serve. And so I got into leadership early on in my high school as a high school of 1,200 kids, a Catholic school, co-ed, and was in student government and then ran for student council president and won. So the whole business of leadership was important for me. I found that it wasn't just serving and discovered myself and with other people that I had a potential for leadership. So that's why I was going really going to go off to law.”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

50. “Not really not in the sense of partisan politics, issues were things that were important, but in terms of I mean, Dad was able to work with and respect people on both sides of the aisle. He was a Democrat and he had great relationships with people who were Republicans. There was the congressman in the area, Glenn Cunningham, who served for a long time. He was a great friend Dad's. And they worked on some things together. Dad got involved in the eastern Braskinoff office on aging. He cared about that a lot and worked with elected officials. He just wanted to get things done. He didn't care about the partisan nature of these things. In fact, he ran against the guy, he primaried his own representative in the county, went door to door to do it. And so it really wasn't, it was always about issues. It wasn't about party.”

    2017-12-21 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 203 - Card. Blase Cupich · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source