John Cody

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. infobox cardinalstyles
cardinal name=John Cardinal Cody
dipstyle=His Eminence
offstyle=Your Eminence
relstyle=Cardinal
See=Chicago|

Biography

He was born in St. Louis, Missouri to a family of Irish ancestry. He entered St. Louis Preparatory 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 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 consecrated 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 transferred to New Orleans, Louisiana, where he was appointed 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 ones.

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. According to Andrew Greeley, Pope Paul VI went so far as to instruct Cardinal Sebastiano Baggio, travelling to South America, to order Cody to resign. However, when he arrived at the airport, Baggio was phoned and instructed to try to persuade Cody to quit voluntarily. Cody "refused in a shouting match at the cardinal's mansion" at Mundelein Seminary. [Greeley, A.: "Confessions of a Parish Priest", page 414. Simon & Schuster, 1986] .

The controversies were somewhat abetted as the Cardinal's health declined in the earlier 1980s, 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 Joseph Bernardin.

References

*Delaney, John J. "Dictionary of American Catholic Biography". Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1988.

External links

* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8256315 Find-A-Grave profile for John Cardinal Cody]