View source for John Cody

{{Short description|American bishop and cardinal}}
{{about|the cardinal|the New York union leader|John Cody (union leader)|the fraudster|John Donald Cody|the reality TV contestant|Survivor: Blood vs. Water}}
{{Infobox Christian leader
| type = Cardinal
| honorific-prefix = [[His Eminence]]
| name = John Patrick Cody
| honorific-suffix =
| title = [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|Cardinal]], [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago|Archbishop of Chicago]]
| image = John Cody.jpg
| caption =
| province =
| diocese =
| see = [[Archdiocese of Chicago|Chicago]]
| appointed = June 14, 1965
| enthroned = August 24, 1965
| ended = April 25, 1982
| predecessor = [[Albert Gregory Meyer]]
| successor = [[Joseph Bernardin]]
| ordination = December 8, 1931
| ordained_by = [[Francesco Marchetti-Selvaggiani]]
| consecration = July 2, 1947
|consecrated_by = [[Joseph Ritter]]
| cardinal =  June 26, 1967
| created_cardinal_by = [[Paul VI]]
| rank =
| other_post = Cardinal-Priest of [[Santa Cecilia in Trastevere]]
| previous_post = {{unbulleted list|[[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans|Archbishop of New Orleans]] (1964–1965)|[[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans|Apostolic Administrator of New Orleans]] (1962–1964)|[[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans|Coadjutor Archbishop of New Orleans]] (1961–1964)|[[Roman Catholic Diocese of Kansas City–Saint Joseph|Bishop of Kansas City–Saint Joseph]] (1956–1961)|[[Roman Catholic Diocese of Kansas City–Saint Joseph|Coadjutor Bishop of Kansas City–Saint Joseph]] (August 1956 – September 1956)|[[Roman Catholic Diocese of Kansas City–Saint Joseph|Coadjutor Bishop of Kansas City]] (1954–1956)|[[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis|Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis]] (1947–1954)}}
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1907|12|24}}
| birth_place = [[St. Louis]], Missouri
| death_date = {{death date and age|1982|4|25|1907|12|24}}
| death_place = [[Chicago]], Illinois
| buried =
| nationality =
| religion =
| residence =
| parents =
| spouse =
| children =
| occupation =
| profession =
| alma_mater =
| signature =
| coat_of_arms = Coat of arms of John Patrick Cody.svg
| motto = MAGNIFICAT ANIMA MEA<BR> (MY SOUL DOTH MAGNIFY)
}}
{{Infobox cardinal styles|
cardinal name=John Cody|
dipstyle=His Eminence|
offstyle=Your Eminence|
See=Chicago|
image=Coat of arms of John Patrick Cody.svg}}
{{Ordination
| consecrated by       = [[Joseph Ritter]] ([[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis|St. Louis]])
| date of consecration = July 2, 1947
| date of elevation    = 26 June 1967
| elevated by          = [[Pope Paul VI]]
| bishop 1             = [[Mário Roberto Emmett Anglim]], [[C.Ss.R.]]
| consecration date 1  = June 2, 1966
| bishop 2             = [[Juan Conway McNabb]], [[Order of Saint Augustine|O.S.A.]]
| consecration date 2  = June 17, 1967
| bishop 3             = [[Michael James Dempsey]], [[Dominican Order|O.P.]]
| consecration date 3  = August 15, 1967
| bishop 4             = [[Thomas Joseph Grady]]
| consecration date 4  = August 24, 1967
| bishop 5             = [[John L. May]]
| consecration date 5  = August 24, 1967
| bishop 6             = [[William Edward McManus]]
| consecration date 6  = August 24, 1967
| bishop 7             = [[Raymond James Vonesh]]
| consecration date 7  = April 3, 1968
| bishop 8             = [[Alfred Leo Abramowicz]]
| consecration date 8  = June 13, 1968
| bishop 9             = [[Michael Dempsey (bishop)|Michael Dempsey]]
| consecration date 9  = June 13, 1968
| bishop 10            = [[Edward William O'Rourke]]
| consecration date 10 = July 15, 1971
}}
'''John Patrick Cody''' (December 24, 1907 – April 25, 1982) was an [[Catholic Church in the United States|American Catholic]] prelate who served as [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Kansas City–Saint Joseph|Bishop of Kansas City–Saint Joseph]] (1956–1961), [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans|Archbishop of New Orleans]] (1964–1965), and [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago|Archbishop of Chicago]] (1965–1982). He was named a [[Cardinal (Catholic Church)|cardinal]] in 1967.

==Biography==
===Early life and education===
John Cody was born in [[St. Louis]], Missouri, to Thomas Joseph and Mary (née Begley) Cody.<ref name=miranda>{{cite news|work=The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church|title=CODY, John Patrick (1907-1982)|url=https://cardinals.fiu.edu/bios-c.htm#Cody|last=Miranda|access-date=2009-11-22|archive-date=2000-09-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000902000624/http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios-c.htm#Cody|url-status=live}}</ref> His father was an [[Ireland|Irish]] immigrant who became deputy chief of the [[St Louis Fire Department]]. After attending Holy Rosary Parochial School, he entered [[St. Louis University High School|St. Louis Preparatory Seminary]] at age 13.<ref name=curtis>{{cite book|last=Curtis|first=Georgina Pell|title=The American Catholic Who's Who|volume=XIV|year=1961|publisher=Walter Romig|location=Grosse Pointe, Michigan}}</ref> He remained at St. Louis until 1926, when he was sent to continue his studies at the [[Pontifical North American College]] in [[Rome]].<ref name=curtis/> He earned a [[Doctor of Philosophy]] degree (1928) and a [[Doctor of Sacred Theology]] (1932) from the [[Pontifical Urbaniana University|College of the Propagation of the Faith]].<ref name=curtis/>

===Priesthood===
Cody was [[Holy orders|ordained]] to the [[Priesthood (Catholic Church)|priesthood]] by Cardinal [[Francesco Marchetti Selvaggiani]] on December 8, 1931.<ref name=hierarchy>{{cite news|work=Catholic-Hierarchy.org|title=John Patrick Cardinal Cody|url=http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bcody.html}}{{Self-published source|date=April 2015}}</ref> He remained in Rome for the next six years as a staff member of the North American College and an official of the [[Secretariat of State (Holy See)|Vatican Secretariat of State]].<ref name=miranda/> In 1938, he earned a [[Doctor of Canon Law]] degree from the [[Pontifical Roman Athenaeum S. Apollinare|Pontifical Roman Athenaeum ''S. Apollinare'']], and was awarded the [[Benemerenti medal]] for his services to the Secretariat of State.<ref name=curtis/> Upon his return to the United States, Cody served as [[Personal assistant|private secretary]] to Archbishop of St. Louis [[John J. Glennon]] until 1940, when he became [[Chancellor (ecclesiastical)|chancellor]] of the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis|Archdiocese of St. Louis]].<ref name=miranda/> Cody was named a [[Monsignor|privy chamberlain]] in 1939 and a [[Monsignor|domestic prelate]] in 1946.<ref name=curtis/> He accompanied Archbishop Glennon to Rome in 1946 when the latter was named a [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|cardinal]], and was on hand when Glennon died in Ireland on the return trip.

===Episcopacy===
On May 10, 1947, Cody was appointed [[Auxiliary Bishop]] of St. Louis and [[Titular Bishop]] of [[Apollonia (Illyria)|Apollonia]] by [[Pope Pius XII]].<ref name=hierarchy/> He received his [[Bishop (Catholic Church)|episcopal]] [[consecration]] on the following July 2 from Archbishop [[Joseph Ritter]], with bishops [[George Joseph Donnelly]] and [[Vincent Stanislaus Waters]] serving as [[Consecrator|co-consecrators]], at the [[Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis|Cathedral of St. Louis]].<ref name=hierarchy/> He was appointed [[Coadjutor bishop|coadjutor]] to the Bishop of Saint Joseph, Missouri, on January 27, 1954. He was appointed [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Kansas City–Saint Joseph|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 [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans|See of New Orleans]] on November 8, 1964. 

According to James Ralph, he became an object of national attention as archbishop, due to his predecessor [[Joseph Rummel]]'s efforts to desegregate the Catholic schools in the archdiocese. As the coadjutor archbishop and then archbishop of New Orleans, Cody had directed the desegregation of New Orleans's parochial schools. Cody's actions had generated fierce opposition, but he had not flinched under pressure.<ref>James Richard Ralph, James Ralph, [https://books.google.com/books?id=yQM00zzzE6oC&q=%22cody%27s+actions+had+generated+fierce+opposition%22&pg=PA73 "Northern Protest", p. 73]</ref>  Cody was quoted as saying, "The Church's role will be most important and It is definitely felt by many experts in the field of community relations that the Catholic Church will continue to be one of the most potent influences in bringing about racial understanding and brotherly love among all races. This was one of the salient points in the encyclical, "Pacem in Terris.” The ecumenical council, showing to the world the spirit of unity and harmony among all Catholics, has been felt appreciably in the present racial crisis in our country. Through its schools and institutions of higher learning, most of which have become fully integrated. the Church can contribute greatly to the development and understanding among all people in the South." Upon the cities construction projects for integrated schools; "The construction of these schools has helped considerably in bringing an acceptance of the Catholic Church's teaching on the equality of all men."<ref>[https://thecatholicnewsarchive.org/?a=d&d=CTR19630905-01.2.156&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN--------]</ref>

===Archbishop of Chicago===

==== Mismanagement ====
Cody was appointed Archbishop of Chicago on June 14, 1965, and installed August 24, 1965. He was elevated to [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|cardinal]] on June 26, 1967. Cody's time in Chicago was marked by strife and controversy, including federal investigations of financial improprieties and an ambiguous relationship with Helen Dolan Wilson, who was alleged to be his mistress.<ref>[http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/reportsitem.aspx?id=101190 Roy Larsen, ''Nieman Reports'', "In the 1980s, a Chicago Newspaper Investigated Cardinal Cody", Spring 2003.]  Retrieved 06-26-2009.</ref><ref>[http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20080311,00.html Linda Witt & John McGuire, ''People'', "A Deepening Scandal Over Church Funds Rocks a Cardinal and His Controversial Cousin", September 28, 1981, Vol. 16, No. 13.] Retrieved 06-26-2009.</ref> Wilson, who "followed (Cody's) every move" for a period of some 25 years, was alleged to have received large sums of money diverted by Cody, some of which were used to purchase "a house in Boca Raton ... a luxury car, expensive clothes and furs, and holiday cash presents."<ref>{{cite book|first1=Piers |last1=Compton|url=https://archive.org/details/TheBrokenCross|title=The Broken Cross: The Hidden Hand in the Vatican|pages=73–74|publisher=Veritas|location=Cranbrook|year=1990|oclc=749144677|isbn=9780949667663|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202101513/https://archive.org/details/TheBrokenCross|archive-date=December 2, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

Despite the fact that approximately $1 million of Church funds disappeared under Cody's tenure,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20101015135643/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,953073,00.html Alexander L. Taylor III & Madeleine Nash, "God and Mammon in Chicago", ''Time'', September 21, 1981.] Retrieved 06-26-2009.</ref> and the National Conference of Catholic Bishops lost more than $4 million in a single year while Cody was treasurer of that organization, all investigations were suspended upon Cody's death.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=E5oTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LwYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4738%2C5599228 Ocala Star-Banner, "Death of Cardinal Cody Leaves Questions Behind," April 26, 1982, page 5.] Retrieved 06-26-2009.</ref>

Roy Larsen, the religion editor of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' wrote:<blockquote>"Legally, the investigations by the paper and the federal prosecutors ended inconclusively. In that sense, the legal tactics followed by Cody and his lawyers--chiefly a strategy of delays and stalling--succeeded in preventing any indictments. Eight months before the first story was published, the US Attorney's office issued subpoenas to Cody and the archdiocese, but the information that was sought was never turned over to the government. Even after the series was published, the stonewalling continued. A new US Attorney, [[Dan K. Webb|Dan Webb]], had taken over the investigation and issued new subpoenas, but Frank McGarr, the chief judge of the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, did nothing to move the case along. Finally, the Cardinal's health became an issue. On April 25, 1982, he died, and in July 1982, Webb terminated the investigation, stating: "Once the cardinal passed on, the investigation as to the allegations against the cardinal became moot."<ref>Roy Larsen, [http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/reportsitem.aspx?id=101190 "In the 1980s, a Chicago Newspaper Investigated Cardinal Cody"], ''Nieman Reports'', Spring 2003; retrieved June 26, 2009.</ref></blockquote>Cody often found his view of episcopal authority in conflict with a number of priests of his diocese. He was opposed to some of the decisions of Apostolic Delegate [[Jean Jadot]] and led a protest campaign against what he felt was his excessive progressivism and radicalism.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}

After the first meeting between Church and Freemasonry which had been held on 11 April 1969 at the convent of the Divine Master in [[Ariccia]], Cody was the protagonist of a series of public handshakes between high prelates of the Roman Catholic Church and the heads of [[Freemasonry]].<ref name="Magister, 1999">{{cite web|author=[[Sandro Magister]]|url=https://chiesa-espresso-repubblica-it.translate.goog/articolo/7167.html?_x_tr_sl=it&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=it&_x_tr_pto=wapp|language=it|title=Tra il papa e il massone non c'è comunione|trans-title=There is no communion between the pope and the Mason|date=19 August 1999|publisher=[[L'Espresso]]}}</ref>

==== Relationship with the Black Community ====
{{NPOV|date=September 2025}}
Cody butted heads with Fr [[George Clements]] for similar reasons, as local [[Black Catholicism|Black Catholics]] sought more Black representation in the local [[pastorate]], especially at Black parishes. Cody circumvented requests for Clements to be named pastor of his parish by placing a different Black priest as pastor there, a pastorally inexperienced Fr Rollins Lambert. He thought he would appease the community since he appointed a Black priest, but they were frustrated with an explicit attempt to avoid appointing a well known Black activist. A series of racially-charged [[Town hall meeting|town hall]] meetings that followed eventually resulted in Fr Lambert opposing Cody's leadership—agreeing with Clements and others that he was a (perhaps unintentional) "[[Racism|racist]]"—and requesting for Clements to be made pastor. Cody eventually conceded.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Cressler|first=Matthew J.|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9781479841325.001.0001|title=Authentically Black and Truly Catholic|year=2020 |publisher=NYU Press|doi=10.18574/nyu/9781479841325.001.0001 |isbn=978-1-4798-4132-5}}</ref>

The desire for (and often "ask questions later" nature of) [[inculturation]] by these same Black Catholics also aggravated Cody, who opposed many of the desired (and sometimes brazenly implemented) changes. In one instance, Clements replaced a statue at his parish of [[Anthony of Padua|St Anthony of Padua]] with an altar to [[Martin Luther King Jr.]], which Clements attempted to justify by using the concept of [[Folk saint|popular acclaim]]. Cody did not budge and threatened to withdraw archdiocesan funds from the parish if the St Anthony statue was not returned to its place. Clements, a close friend of many [[Black Panther Party|Black Panthers]] (including [[Fred Hampton]], his personal mentee), informed Cody he would have to come do it himself, but that he (Clements) would not be able to protect him if he did so. The statue remained elsewhere. Eventually Cody did withdraw financial support from Clements' parish and they operated for a time via fundraisers and special appeals.<ref name=":0" />

=== Later life and death ===
The opposition to Cody's leadership waned as his health declined in the early 1980s. He was succeeded in the summer of 1982 by the markedly progressive [[Joseph Bernardin]]. Cody died that year at the age of 74 and was interred in the Bishops' Mausoleum at [[Mount Carmel Cemetery (Hillside, Illinois)]].

[[Image:BishopsMausoleumAug2004.jpg|thumbnail|300px|right|Cardinal Cody's final resting place]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==

* Dahm, Charles W. ''Power and Authority in the Catholic Church: Cardinal Cody in Chicago'' (University of Notre Dame Press, 1982), xviii+ 334 pages.

{{s-start}}
{{s-rel|ca}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Albert Gregory Meyer]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Roman Catholic Bishop of Chicago|Archbishop of Chicago]]|years=1965–1982}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Joseph Bernadin]]}}
{{s-vac|last=[[Albert Gregory Meyer]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Cardinal-Priest]] of [[Santa Cecilia in Trastevere]]|years=1967–1982}}
{{s-vac|next=[[Carlo Maria Martini]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Joseph Rummel]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans|Archbishop of New Orleans]]|years=1964–1965}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Philip Hannan]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Edwin Vincent O'Hara]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Roman Catholic Diocese of Kansas City–Saint Joseph|Bishop of Kansas City–Saint Joseph]]|years=1956–1961}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Charles Herman Helmsing]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Cardinals created under Paul VI}}
{{Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago}}
{{Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans}}
{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph}}
{{Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cody, John}}
[[Category:1907 births]]
[[Category:1982 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American cardinals]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic archbishops of Chicago]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic archbishops of New Orleans]]
[[Category:American Roman Catholic clergy of Irish descent]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic bishops of Kansas City–Saint Joseph]]
[[Category:Clergy from Chicago]]
[[Category:Clergy from New Orleans]]
[[Category:Clergy from St. Louis]]
[[Category:Archdiocese of St. Louis]]
[[Category:Archdiocese of New Orleans]]
[[Category:Burials at the Bishop's Mausoleum, Mount Carmel Cemetery (Hillside)]]
[[Category:Participants in the Second Vatican Council]]
[[Category:Cardinals created by Pope Paul VI]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Benemerenti medal]]