Bishop Blase Cupich insists that Pope Francis was sending a pastor and not a message when he appointed him the next archbishop of Chicago. However, he's been sending some very Francis-like messages himself.
As he prepares to become the spiritual leader for the area's 2.2 million Catholics, Cupich has been signaling that his style will be different than the retiring Cardinal Francis Geroge. He's decided to live in a simple rectory instead of the archdiocese mansion favored by his predecessors and comments he has made suggest that he will solicit the opinions of lay people and clergy than George did.
Northwestern University religious studies professor Cristina Traina says that by selecting Cupich, the pope is signaling that he wants an archdiocese leader who will "connect with people."