Denver Catholic

15 DENVER CATHOLIC | MAY 2-8, 2015 Mutscheller COURTESY OF BALTIMORE SUN What Cardinal Francis George really said Editor's note: This post originally ran in the National Catholic Register Oct. 24, 2012. It was reposted April 17 following the death of Cardinal Francis George. A t long last, the Archdiocese of Chicago's Cardinal Francis George has definitively a«rmed what exactly he said in relation to the much-quoted statement about him dying in his bed, and his successors dying imprisoned and martyred. I first heard the quote used by a Catholic speaker sometime in 2010. If you're a Catholic reader or conference attendee, you've no doubt heard it as well. It's taken on rather mythic propor- tions … so much so, that I suspected that it might not be factual. The quote has even made its way into the Cardinal's Wikipedia entry. Over the years I've heard numer- ous commentators and speakers and writers refer to this quote. Many have described it as "prophetic." Others have incorrectly stated that it was made in response to the current Health and Human Service contraception mandate. Some have attributed it to Archbishop Charles Chaput; others attributed it to Cardinal George. Some thought it was in a column by the cardinal, others thought it was said in a speech. The earliest online usage I could find of the quote itself dates to May 2010. Call it the journalist in me, but I was never comfortable passing on the alleged quote or using it until I had confirmation about it. In fact, the last few times I've heard the quote used, I've suggested that those using it might want to track down the source. In May of this year, I reached out to the Archdiocese of Chicago to find out if the cardinal had indeed said it, when it was said, and the context in which it was said. Susan Burritt, media relations director, said that the quote could not be found in any letter or speech. It was, there- fore, not something they could verify or confirm. Burritt noted that it was most likely said by the cardinal in response to a question, and that it was said sometime in 2010. "It was a hypothetical statement made in a di•erent context, and intended to dramatize the danger of our living in an increasingly secularized cul- ture," Burritt told me at the time. With the publication of Cardinal George's most recent Catholic New World column ("The wrong side of his- tory," Oct. 21-Nov. 3, 2012 issue), the source has not only been found, but confirmed by the man who originally uttered the statement. Cardinal George confirms that he said it, and also adds that the quote has most frequently been used without his important follow-up sentence. Here's the salient section from the cardinal's column. "Speaking a few years ago to a group of priests, entirely outside of the cur- rent political debate, I was trying to express in overly dramatic fashion what the complete secularization of our soci- ety could bring," writes the cardinal. "I was responding to a question and I never wrote down what I said, but the words were captured on somebody's smart phone and have now gone viral on Wikipedia and elsewhere in the electronic communications world. I am (correctly) quoted as saying that I expected to die in bed, my successor will die in prison and his successor will die a martyr in the public square. What is omitted from the reports is a final phrase I added about the bishop who follows a possibly martyred bishop: 'His successor will pick up the shards of a ruined society and slowly help rebuild civilization, as the Church has done so often in human history.' What I said is not 'prophetic' but a way to force people to think outside of the usual categories that limit and sometimes poison both private and public discourse." So, as a corrective, for all those writ- ers and speakers out there desirous of using the quote, when used it should be used in its entirety. "I expect to die in bed, my successor will die in prison and his successor will die a martyr in the public square. His successor will pick up the shards of a ruined society and slowly help rebuild civilization, as the church has done so often in human history." Cardinal George: The myth and reality of 'I'll die in my bed' She showed us how to die I read the column regarding Kara Tippets ("'That last kiss, that last warm touch, that last breath' mattered," April 4-10 Denver Catholic). What a strong person and what a true and inspir- ing message. My wife, Kathy, was like that. It was six years ago, 2009, this week that she and her physician agreed that treatment was no longer e•ective in her four- and-a-half-year battle with ovarian cancer. The memories and lessons of that week before she left us on April 27 were spe- cial for all of us that were fortunate to have been included in her world. She so honestly said and believed, "I don't mind dying, I just hate to stop living." And live she did until time ran out on the morning of Monday the 27th. She spent the week a«rm- ing, loving, praying with, thanking, mentoring three adult children and their spouses, six grand- children, and a loving husband and countless friends for that week. She spent her life showing us how to live and her last days showing all of us what it means and how to die. There is no price or value that can be placed on the blessings bestowed on others because she lived life fully until her last natural breath. She traveled the road she alone could travel; but she brought us along as all of us laughed, joked, and sometimes cried together experiencing that last week. Her Faith (with capital letters) was unwavering during her entire life and gave her the courage to face her fate with absolute confi- dence that her Lord would welcome her into His kingdom. Meals shared, hugs, stories read, and picture albums reviewed all cemented the memo- ries and emotions—and magic—of those last days. I was so blessed to receive the last "I love you" as her lips mouthed the words and I was with her at her last breath as her face expressed awe and joy when God chose to bring her from this world to His. So, if there is anything to conclude from this it is the following. Don't cheat yourself or those who love you by taking a path that God has not paved for you. Did she su•er? No. Hospice and its sta• ensure physical comfort. And, if we could only see death as a part of the great circle of life and not an aberrant end, how it is part of this great life mystery, there would be no need to "control" or try to escape it. Thanks for bringing the story of Kara Tippetts to us all. And, may she, my beloved wife, and Brit- tany Maynard be received and revel in eternity with our Lord. God bless. STUART BENNETT Arvada LETTERS Tim Drake, formerly with the National Catholic Register/EWTN, is the new evangelization coordinator for the Holdingford Area Catholic Community in the Diocese of St. Cloud, Minn. Guest Column TIM DRAKE Cardinal Francis George speaking in Denver Feb. 17 at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary. PHOTO BY ZACHARY BOAZMAN CARDINAL'S COLUMN www.catholicnewworld.com/ cnwonline/2012/1021/cardinal.aspx

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