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{{Short description|Catholic bishop and cardinal (1928–1996)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox Christian leader
| type = Cardinal
| honorific-prefix = [[His Eminence]]
| name = Joseph Louis Bernardin
| honorific-suffix = 
| title = [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|Cardinal]], [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago|Archbishop of Chicago]]
| image = Joseph Bernardin.jpg
| caption = 
| province = 
| diocese = 
| see = [[Archdiocese of Chicago|Chicago]]
| appointed = July 8, 1982
| enthroned = August 25, 1982
| ended = November 14, 1996
| predecessor = [[John Cody]]
| successor = [[Francis George]]
| ordination = April 26, 1952
| ordained_by = [[John Joyce Russell]]
| consecration = April 26, 1966
| consecrated_by = [[Paul John Hallinan]]
| cardinal = February 2, 1983
| created_cardinal_by = [[John Paul II]]
| rank = Cardinal-Priest
| other_post = [[Jesus the Divine Worker|Cardinal-Priest of Gesù Divin Lavoratore (Jesus the Divine Worker)]]
| previous_post = {{unbulleted list|President of the [[United States Conference of Catholic Bishops|United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and National Conference of Catholic Bishops]] (1974–1977)|[[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati|Archbishop of Cincinnati]] (1972–1982)|General Secretary Of the [[United States Conference of Catholic Bishops|National Conference of Catholic Bishops]] (1968–1972)|[[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta|Auxiliary Bishop of Atlanta]] (1966–1968)}}
| birth_name = 
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1928|4|2|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[Columbia, South Carolina]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|1996|11|14|1928|4|2|mf=y}}
| death_place = [[Chicago, Illinois]]
| children = 
| coat_of_arms = 
| motto = As those who serve
| education = [[University of South Carolina]]<br>[[St. Mary's College (Kentucky)|Saint Mary's College]] <br>[[Saint Mary Seminary]]<br>[[The Catholic University of America|Catholic University of America]]
}}
{{Infobox cardinal styles|
cardinal name=Joseph Bernardin|
dipstyle=His Eminence|
offstyle=Your Eminence|
See=Chicago|
image=Coat of arms of Joseph Louis Bernardin.svg|
image_size=200px}}
{{Ordination
| consecrated by       = [[Paul John Hallinan]] ([[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta|Atlanta]])
| date of consecration = April 26, 1966
| bishop 1             = [[Daniel Edward Pilarczyk]]
| consecration date 1  = December 20, 1974
| bishop 2             = [[Thomas Cajetan Kelly]] [[Dominican Order|O.P]]
| consecration date 2  = August 15, 1977
| bishop 3             = [[Timothy Joseph Lyne]]
| consecration date 3  = December 13, 1983
| bishop 4             = [[John George Vlazny]]
| consecration date 4  = December 13, 1983
| bishop 5             = [[Plácido Rodriguez]]
| consecration date 5  = December 13, 1983
| bishop 6             = [[Wilton Daniel Gregory]]
| consecration date 6  = December 13, 1983
| bishop 7             = [[James Patrick Keleher]] 
| consecration date 7  = December 11, 1984
| bishop 8             = [[Thad J. Jakubowski]]
| consecration date 8  = April 11, 1988
| bishop 9             = [[John R. Gorman]]
| consecration date 9  = April 11, 1988
| bishop 10            = [[Raymond E. Goedert]]
| consecration date 10 = August 29, 1991
| bishop 11             =[[Thomas G. Doran|Thomas George Doran]]
| consecration date 11  = June 24, 1994
| bishop 12            = [[Edwin Michael Conway]]
| consecration date 12 = March 20, 1995
| bishop 13            = [[Gerald Frederick Kicanas]]
| consecration date 13 = March 20, 1995
| bishop 14            = [[George Murry|George Vance Murry]], [[Society of Jesus|S.J.]]
| consecration date 14 = March 20, 1995
| bishop 15            = [[John R. Manz]]
| consecration date 15 = March 5, 1996
}}

'''Joseph Louis Bernardin''' (April 2, 1928&nbsp;– November 14, 1996) was an [[Catholic Church in the United States|American Catholic]] prelate who served as [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati|Archbishop of Cincinnati]] in Ohio from 1972 until 1982, and as [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago|Archbishop of Chicago]] in Illinois from 1982 until his death from [[pancreatic cancer]]. Bernardin was elevated to the [[Cardinal (Catholic Church)|cardinalate]] in 1983 by [[Pope John Paul II]].

==Biography==

=== Early life ===
Joseph Bernardin was born on April 2, 1928, in [[Columbia, South Carolina]], to Joseph "Bepi" Bernardin and Maria Maddalena Simion. They were an [[Austria-Hungary|Austro-Hungarian]]-born immigrant couple, from the village of [[Fiera di Primiero]], now located in the [[Northern Italian]] region of [[Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol|Trentino]].<ref name="unsworth">{{Cite web |title=Joseph Cardinal Bernardin |url=http://natcath.org/NCR_Online/archives2/1996d/112296/112296b.htm |website=natcath.org}}</ref> Bepi first went to South Carolina to work in a quarry, then came back to Italy to marry Maria. The whole family then moved to Columbia.<ref name="unsworth" />

Joseph Bernardin was baptized and later [[Confirmation|confirmed]] at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Columbia. Bepi died of cancer in 1934 when Bernardin was age six. When he was older, he took responsibility for his younger sister, Elaine, while his widowed mother worked as a [[seamstress]] for the [[Works Progress Administration]]. Joseph attended both Catholic and public primary and secondary schools.<ref name="unsworth" />

Bernardin's original ambition was to become a physician, inspiring him to enroll in the [[Pre-medical|pre-med]] program at the [[University of South Carolina]] (USC) in Columbia.<ref name="unsworth" /> However, after one year at USC, he decided instead to become a priest. He spent one year studying Latin at [[St. Mary's College (Kentucky)|Saint Mary's College]] in Kentucky. He then entered the [[Saint Mary Seminary]] in [[Baltimore, Maryland]], to study philosophy and prepare for the priesthood. He graduated from Saint Mary in 1948 with a [[Bachelor of Arts]] in [[philosophy]], then enrolled in the [[The Catholic University of America|Catholic University of America]] in Washington, D.C., where he received a Master of Arts in education in 1952. His professors wanted him to study in Rome, but he refused out of concern for his mother's health.<ref name="unsworth" />

=== Priesthood ===
On April 26, 1952, Bernardin was ordained a priest of the [[Diocese of Charleston]] by Bishop [[John Joyce Russell|John J. Russell]] at St. Joseph Church in Columbia.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Joseph Louis Cardinal Bernardin [Catholic-Hierarchy] |url=https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bbernj.html |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=www.catholic-hierarchy.org}}</ref> After his ordination, the diocese assigned him as an assistant pastor at St. Joseph. He also joined the faculty of [[Bishop England High School]] in Charleston. In 1954, the diocese move Bernardin to an administrative position in its [[Chancery (diplomacy)|chancery]]. He was named superintendent of the diocesan cemeteries and chaplain at [[The Citadel]], a military college in Charleston.<ref name="unsworth" /> 

In 1959, [[Pope John XXIII]] named Bernardin a [[Papal Chamberlain|papal chamberlain]] with the title of [[monsignor]]. The same pope named him in 1962 as a [[domestic prelate]].<ref name="unsworth" />

===Auxiliary Bishop of Atlanta===
On March 9, 1966, Pope [[Paul VI]] appointed Bernardin as titular bishop of [[Liguria]] and [[Auxiliary Bishop|auxiliary bishop]] of the [[Archdiocese of Atlanta]]. He was consecrated on April 26, 1966, by Archbishop [[Paul John Hallinan|Paul Hallinan]].<ref name=":0" /> Bernardin, 38 years old, became the youngest bishop in America.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Chicago to Open the Bishop’s Mausoleum for Public Visitation in Honor of the 25th Anniversary of Cardinal Joseph Bernardin’s Death on Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021 |url=https://www.archchicago.org/news-release/-/article/2021/11/11/catholic-cemeteries-of-the-archdiocese-of-chicago-to-open-the-bishop-s-mausoleum-for-public-visitation-in-honor-of-the-25th-anniversary-of-cardinal-jo |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=Archdiocese of Chicago |language=en-US}}</ref> From 1966 to 1968, Bishop Bernardin served as [[Rector (ecclesiastical)|rector]] of the [[Cathedral of Christ the King (Atlanta, Georgia)|Cathedral of Christ the King]] in [[Atlanta, Georgia]].

===General Secretary of National Conference===
In 1968, Bernardin resigned as auxiliary bishop of Atlanta to become the first general secretary of the [[National Conference of Catholic Bishops]] in Washington, a post he held until 1972. In 1969. Bernardin was instrumental in founding one of the conference's most influential and successful programs, the anti-poverty [[Catholic Campaign for Human Development]] (CCHD).<ref name="peace">{{Cite web |last=Media |first=Franciscan |title=Franciscan Media |url=https://info.franciscanmedia.org/ |website=info.franciscanmedia.org}}</ref>

During this period, Bernardin also became affiliated with the [[Order of Friars Minor]], being received into the first order with a habit in 1972.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Millies |first=Steven P. |title=Joseph Bernardin: Seeking Common Ground |publisher=Liturgical Press |year=2016 |isbn=9780814648063 |location=United States |pages=61–62}}</ref>

===Archbishop of Cincinnati===
[[Pope Paul VI]] appointed Bernardin as archbishop of Cincinnati on November 21, 1972, He was installed there on December 19, 1972. Bernardin served in Cincinnati for nearly ten years. While there, he appointed the first woman as editor of the archdiocesan newspaper, ''[[The Catholic Telegraph]]''.

During this period, the Vatican appointed Bernardin to the [[Congregation for Bishops|Sacred Congregation of Bishops]] in Rome and to the permanent council of the [[Synod of Bishops (Catholic)|Synod of Bishops]].<ref name=peace/> He worked to improve ecumenical relations with Jews and Protestants. He also visited [[Poland]] and [[Hungary]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Social Justice Resource Center » Bernardin, Joseph Cardinal |url=https://socialjusticeresourcecenter.org/biographies/bernardin-cardinal-joseph/ |access-date=2025-06-03 |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Archbishop of Chicago===
Following the death of Cardinal [[John Cody]] of [[Chicago]], [[Pope John Paul II]] chose Bernardin, already prominent among his fellow American bishops, to lead the [[Archdiocese of Chicago]]. He was appointed the seventh archbishop of Chicago on July 10, 1982.<ref name=":0" />On August 25, 1982, he was installed by the [[Apostolic Delegate|apostolic delegate to the United States]], Cardinal [[Pio Laghi]]. Bernardin found an archdiocese in disarray, its priests disheartened by years of arbitrary administration and charges of financial misconduct.<ref name="unsworth" />A ''[[New York Times]]'' article in 1996 made the following assessment: "With his patient charm and willingness to listen, Bernardin won back the confidence of the clergy and the laity."<ref name="nytm">{{Cite news |date=1996-12-01 |title=Death as a Friend |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/01/magazine/death-as-a-friend.html |access-date=2025-06-02 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

===Elevation to Cardinal===
In the [[papal consistory]] of February 2, 1983, Bernardin was elevated to the [[College of Cardinals]] by John Paul II as [[Cardinal-Priest|cardinal-priest]] of ''Gesù Divino Lavoratore'' ([[Jesus the Divine Worker]]), his [[titular church]] in Rome.<ref name=":0" />

===Sexual abuse scandal===
{{Main|Sexual abuse scandal in Chicago archdiocese}}
Bernardin implemented a policy concerning priests accused of [[sexual misconduct]] with minors. He removed more than 20 priests and established a new review board to assess allegations, made up primarily of lay people.<ref name=nytm/> Bernardin's reforms concerning this issue soon served as a model for other dioceses across the nation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archives.archchicago.org/jcbbio.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081024013546/http://archives.archchicago.org/jcbbio.htm|url-status=dead|title=Biography of Joseph Cardinal Bernardin|archive-date=October 24, 2008}}</ref>

In 1993, Bernardin announced that he was being sued for sexual misconduct. The plaintiff was a former seminarian, Stephen Cook, who said that Bernardin and another priest abused him in the 1970s. However, Cook later said that his memories of the abuse emerged under hypnosis; after becoming uncertain of Bernardin's guilt, Cook dropped him from the lawsuit.  The two men later met and reconciled. In 1995, Cook said that he had relied on people who told him things that were not true, "asserting that he is absolutely convinced of Bernardin's innocence".<ref>{{Cite news |title=Bernardin, Ex-accuser Reconcile |url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1995-01-05/news/9501050333_1_cardinal-bernardin-steven-cook-rev-ellis-harsham |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222000635/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1995-01-05/news/9501050333_1_cardinal-bernardin-steven-cook-rev-ellis-harsham |archive-date=2014-02-22 |access-date=2025-06-02 |work=Chicago Tribune |language=en}}</ref>

===Final illness===
In June 1995, following a string of international visits and pilgrimages, Bernardin underwent surgery for [[pancreatic cancer]]. Imaging performed after his surgery showed him to be in [[Remission (medicine)|remission]]. However, August 30, 1996, Bernardin announced that the cancer had [[Metastasis|metastasized]] to his liver and was inoperable. He turned over the administration of the archdiocese to his vicar general and auxiliary bishop, [[Raymond E. Goedert|Raymond Goedert]]. Bernardin then focused his ministry on the sick, becoming the "unofficial chaplain" to cancer patients at [[Loyola University Hospital]] in Chicago.<ref name=Feister>[http://www.americancatholic.org/Messenger/Feb1997/feature2.asp Feister, John Bookser. "Cardinal Joseph L. Bernadin", ''St. Anthony Messenger'']</ref><ref name="unsworth" /> In September, Bernardin delivered a major address, "Seamless Garment of Life", at [[Georgetown University]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=1996-09-10 |title=DYING MAN OF CHURCH SPEAKS OUT FOR LIFE |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/1996/09/10/dying-man-of-church-speaks-out-for-life/ |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=New York Daily News |language=en-US}}</ref>

On September 23, Bernardin traveled to [[Rome]] to visit with [[Pope John Paul II]] and visit the town of [[Assisi]].<ref name="unsworth" />During that trip, Bernardin made his funerary arrangements. After returning to Chicago, he arranged for the care for his mother, whom he visited daily at her nursing home,<ref name=Feister/> and the distribution of his personal possessions. He sent his personal papers and administrative files to the Archives and Records Center at the archdiocese

Two weeks before his death, Bernardin and his biographer [[Eugene Kennedy]] completed ''The Gift Of Peace'', a book containing Bernardin's reflections on the end of life and his own approaching death.<ref name="peace"/> He stated that he saw death as "a continuation and a friend to prepare properly for by conducting ourselves well and letting go to abandon one's self to God in the end". 

Bernardin said goodbye to 800 diocesan and religious clergy in a meeting at Holy Name Cathedral weeks before his death. On October 7, he met with the Presbyterate; at the end of the month. He withdrew from active ministry due to his deteriorating strength. In his last days, Bernardin wrote to the [[United States Supreme Court]], arguing against [[assisted suicide]].

=== Death and legacy ===
[[Image:BishopsMausoleumAug2004.jpg|thumbnail|260px|Bishops' Mausoleum, Mount Carmel Cemetery, Hillside, Illinois (2004)]]
On November 14, 1996, Bernardin died in Chicago from [[pancreatic cancer]] at the age of 68.<ref name=":0" /> His [[Funeral Mass|funeral mass]] celebrated by his friend, Cardinal [[Roger Mahony]], with the [[homily]] being delivered by his friend Monsignor Kenneth Velo. At Bernardin's wake for priests, his friend Reverend Scott Donahue spoke. The Windy City Gay Chorus performed at Bernardin's funeral, reportedly at his request.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Von Rhein |first1=John |last2=Carlozo |first2=Lou |date=June 19, 1996 |title=Funeral Service Music Reaches Far and Wide |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1996-11-19-9611190251-story.html |access-date=June 26, 2019 |newspaper=The Chicago Tribune}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=January 7, 2002 |title=Catholic World News News Feature |url=https://www.catholicculture.org/news/features/index.cfm?recnum=21048 |access-date=June 26, 2019 |website=CatholicCulture.org}}</ref> Bernardin was interred in the Bishops' Mausoleum at [[Mount Carmel Cemetery (Hillside, Illinois)|Mount Carmel Cemetery]] in Hillside, Illinois.

Bernardin was an influential figure in the [[Catholic Church]] in the United States following the [[Second Vatican Council]];<ref>{{cite news |last1=Renner |first1=Gerald |date=4 July 1998 |title=Cardinal Left Legacy of Courage, Change |url=https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-1998-07-04-9807030049-story.html |access-date=17 March 2020 |work=Hartford Courant}}</ref> [[George Weigel]] called him "arguably the most powerful Catholic prelate in American history".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Weigel |first1=George |date=February 2011 |title=The End of the Bernardin Era |url=https://www.firstthings.com/article/2011/02/the-end-of-the-bernardin-era |journal=First Things |language=en |issue=210 |pages=18–25}}</ref>

In December 2023, James Grein said that former cardinal [[Theodore McCarrick]] and Bernardin had sexually assaulted him when he was 18 years old at a house near [[Geneva Lake]] in Wisconsin.<ref>{{cite web |title=Theodore McCarrick case in Wisconsin hangs in the balance after new competency exam |url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256191/theodore-mccarrick-case-in-wisconsin-hangs-in-the-balance-after-new-competency-exam}}</ref>

== Honors ==

=== Honors received by Bernardin ===
* Honorary decree (1983), [[College of the Holy Cross]] in Worcester, Massachusetts<ref>{{cite news |last1=Schroth |first1=Raymond A. |date=June 5, 1998 |title=Bernardin |url=https://www.questia.com/magazine/1G1-20835547/bernardin |work=National Catholic Reporter |volume=34 |issue=31}}{{Dead link|date=December 2024|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Kuzniewski |first1=Anthony J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C04IVksMcN0C&pg=PA490 |title=Thy Honored Name: A History of the College of the Holy Cross, 1843-1994 |date=1999 |publisher=CUA Press |isbn=978-0-8132-0911-1 |page=490 |language=en}}</ref>
* Doctor of Divinity honorary degree (1983) [[Yale University]], in New Haven, Connecticut.<ref>{{cite web |title=Honorary Degrees Since 1702 |url=https://secretary.yale.edu/programs-services/honorary-degrees/since-1702?page=7 |website=Yale University}}</ref>
* F. Sadlier Dinger Award (1989) from the educational publisher [[William H. Sadlier, Inc.]] The award is for an outstanding contribution to the ministry of religious education in America.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sadlier Religion {{!}} The F. Sadlier Dinger Award (NCEA) |url=https://www.sadlier.com/religion/f-sadlier-dinger-award-ncea |website=www.sadlier.com |language=en}}</ref> 
* Golden Plate Award (1990) of the [[Academy of Achievement|American Academy of Achievement.]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |url=https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#public-service |website=www.achievement.org |publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]]}}</ref>
* [[Laetare Medal]] (1995) from the University of Notre Dame in recognition of outstanding service to the Catholic Church and society.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cardinal Joseph Bernardin |url=https://laetare.nd.edu/recipients/people/cardinal-joseph-bernardin/ |website=The Laetare Medal |publisher=University of Notre Dame}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=April 7, 1995 |title=Cardinal Bernardin to receive Notre Dame's Laetare Medal |url=https://issuu.com/catholicnewsherald/docs/april_7__1995 |work=Catholic News & Herald |page=13 |language=en |volume=4 |number=41}}</ref>
* [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] (1996) by US President [[Bill Clinton]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Presidential Medal of Freedom |url=https://clintonwhitehouse6.archives.gov/1996/09/1996-09-06-president-names-recipients-of-medal-of-freedom.html |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=clintonwhitehouse6.archives.gov}}</ref> 
* [[Order of Lincoln]] Laureate (1997) [[The Lincoln Academy of Illinois]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-05 |title=Home - Lincoln Academy |url=https://lincolnacademyillinois.org/ |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=lincolnacademyillinois.org |language=en-US}}</ref>  

=== Places named after him ===
The following places were named after Bernardin:

* Bernardin Center at the [[Catholic Theological Union]] in Chicago
* Bernardin Center in Columbia, South Carolina
* Cardinal Joseph Bernardin Catholic School, a regional elementary school in [[Orland Hills, Illinois]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cardinal Joseph Bernardin Catholic School |url=https://cjbschool.org/ |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=Cardinal Joseph Bernardin Catholic School |language=en}}</ref>
* Cardinal Bernardin Early Childhood Center in Chicago<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cardinal Bernardin Early Childhood Center , Montessori School |url=https://www.montessorischools.us/program/cardinal-bernardin-early-childhood-center.html |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=www.montessorischools.us}}</ref>
* Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center at St. Joseph Health System in Chicago

=== Awards and honors named after him ===

* The [[University of South Carolina]] established the annual "Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Lecture" in 1999.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bernardin Annual Lecture - Department of Religious Studies |url=https://www.sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/artsandsciences/religious_studies/beyond_the_classroom/lecture_series/bernardin.php |access-date=17 March 2020 |website=University of South Carolina}}</ref> 
* The Catholic Campaign for Human Development, now sponsored by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, presents the Cardinal Joseph Bernardin New Leadership Award to a young adult who works against poverty and injustice.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cardinal Bernardin New Leadership Award {{!}} USCCB |url=https://www.usccb.org/committees/catholic-campaign-human-development/cardinal-bernardin-new-leadership-award |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=www.usccb.org |language=en}}</ref>
* Georgetown University sponsors the Bernardin Lecture every year<ref>{{Cite web |last=Abramovitz |first=By Ruth |title=Xavier University President Calls for Reunification of the Liberal Arts |url=https://thehoya.com/news/xavier-university-president-calls-for-reunification-of-the-liberal-arts/ |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=The Hoya}}</ref>
* The [[Catholic Common Ground Initiative]] presents the Cardinal Joseph Bernardin Award to a group or individual who works to find common ground within the Catholic Church.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cardinal Joseph Bernardin Award |url=https://catholiccommonground.org/cardinal-joseph-bernardin-award/ |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=Catholic Common Ground Initiative |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Views==
===Church issues===
Bernardin became a mediator between the diverging parties in the changing post-conciliar Church. In 1996, Bernardin inaugurated the [[Catholic Common Ground Initiative]] and was a co-author of its founding document ''"Called to Be Catholic: Church in a Time of Peril,"'' released in August 1996.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=1996-08-13 |title=Chicago cardinal calls for dialogue for Catholic Church in its ‘time of peril’ Bernardin document also announces ’97 conference |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1996/08/13/chicago-cardinal-calls-for-dialogue-for-catholic-church-in-its-time-of-peril-bernardin-document-also-announces-97-conference/ |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=Baltimore Sun |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":1" />

Bernardin is also noted for his interest in the concerns of young adults, which was in part evidenced by his involvement in the nascent [[Theology on Tap]] lecture movement in the early 1980s. In 1985, he told attendees of a special Theology on Tap Mass, "If I had children of my own, they would be your age. You are very special to me and to this Archdiocese."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.yamchicago.org/yam-TOT-bishopreport.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070113134204/http://www.yamchicago.org/yam-TOT-bishopreport.htm|url-status=dead|title=On Tap|archive-date=January 13, 2007}}</ref>

=== HIV/AIDS ===
In 1985, Bernadin established an [[AIDS]] task force to determine how the archdiocese might best care for those stricken by HIV/AIDS. In 1989, he dedicated Bonaventure House with the help of the [[Alexian Brothers]], a residential facility for people suffering with the disease. Bernardin was also lauded for his anti-pornography work, his leadership of the U.S. bishops, and the presidency of the [[Catholic Church Extension Society]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}} 
===Ecumenicism===
According to Monsignor Kenneth Velo, a former executive aide to Bernardin and head of the Catholic Extension Society, Bernadin learned ecumenism while serving in predominantly Baptist American South.<ref name="peace" />

Bernardin promoted [[ecumenism]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gros |first1=Jeffrey |author-link=Jeffrey Gros |date=September 2012 |title=Reception, the First Three Decades: The Contribution of Cardinal Bernardin |url=https://www.academia.edu/2175500 |journal=Ecumenical Trends |language=en |volume=41 |issue=8 |pages=122–125}}</ref> While archbishop of Cincinnati, Bernardin engaged in interfaith dialogue with Jews, [[Presbyterians]], [[Episocopal Church in the United States of America|Episcopalians]], and [[Lutherans]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Biography of Joseph Cardinal Bernardin |url=https://archives.archchicago.org/jcbbio.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031014052823/https://archives.archchicago.org/jcbbio.htm |archive-date=14 October 2003 |website=Archdiocese of Chicago}}</ref> In 1984, he began the Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago,<ref name="Spilly 2000 page 339">{{cite book |last1=Bernardin |first1=Joseph |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s0YjtwfVaAYC&pg=PA339 |title=Selected Works of Joseph Cardinal Bernardin: Church and society |date=2000 |publisher=Liturgical Press |isbn=978-0-8146-2584-2 |editor-last=Spilly |editor-first=Alphonse P. |page=339 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Frisbie |first1=Margery |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7J4BsjBGLm8C&pg=PA266 |title=An Alley in Chicago: The Life and Legacy of Monsignor John Egan |date=2002 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-58051-121-6 |page=266 |language=en}}</ref> the successor group to the Chicago Conference on Religion and Race, and served as the council's first president.<ref>{{cite web |title=Officers & Staff |url=https://www.crlmc.org/officers--staff.html |access-date=17 March 2020 |website=Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=What We Have Learned from 40 Years of Catholic–Jewish Dialogue |encyclopedia=A Legacy of Catholic-Jewish Dialogue: The Cardinal Joseph Bernardin Jerusalem Lectures |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5gEfhA2oA78C&pg=PR13 |last=Baima |first=Thomas A. |date=2012 |language=en |isbn=978-1-61671-063-7}}</ref> Under Bernardin, the Archdiocese of Chicago established covenants with the [[Episcopal Diocese of Chicago]] in 1986 and with the Metropolitan Synod of the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America]] in 1989.<ref name="Spilly 2000 page 339" /> Bernardin attended the [[World Parliament of Religions]] in Chicago in 1993.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hirsley |first1=Michael |date=August 29, 1993 |title=Parliament of Religions Makes Call For World Peace |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1993-08-29-9308290407-story.html |access-date=17 March 2020 |work=Chicago Tribune}}</ref>

=== Peace ===
In 1981, Bernardin became head of the new [[National Conference of Catholic Bishops|NCCB]] Ad Hoc Committee on War and Peace, formed to draft a pastoral letter on [[nuclear proliferation]].<ref name="McBrady 2015">{{cite journal |last1=McBrady |first1=Jared |date=January 2015 |title=The Challenge of Peace: Ronald Reagan, John Paul II, and the American Bishops |journal=Journal of Cold War Studies |language=en |volume=17 |issue=1 |pages=129–152 |doi=10.1162/JCWS_a_00533 |issn=1520-3972 |s2cid=57562812}}</ref> The resulting book-length letter, "[[The Challenge of Peace: God's Promise and Our Response]]", was published in 1983.<ref name="McBrady 2015" /> An influential statement of [[Catholic social teaching]], the document condemns [[nuclear warfare]]<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hansen |first1=Luke |date=3 May 2013 |title='The Challenge of Peace' Today |url=https://www.americamagazine.org/content/all-things/challenge-peace-today |access-date=17 March 2020 |work=America Magazine |language=en}}</ref> and states that [[nuclear deterrence]] is "not an adequate strategy as a long-term basis for peace; it is a transitional strategy justifiable only in conjunction with resolute determination to pursue arms control and disarmament".<ref>{{cite web |title=The Challenge of Peace: God's Promise and Our Response |url=http://www.usccb.org/upload/challenge-peace-gods-promise-our-response-1983.pdf |publisher=USCCB}}</ref> In relation to his work on the nuclear question, Bernardin was featured on the front cover of a 1982 issue of ''[[Time Magazine]]'' entitled "God and the Bomb".<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Bernardin, Cardinal Joseph Louis (1928–1996) |encyclopedia=Religion and Politics in America: An Encyclopedia of Church and State in American Life |publisher=ABC-CLIO |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jWxyDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA56 |last=Ortiz |first=Fernando A. |date=2016 |editor-last1=Smith |editor-first1=Frank J. |pages=55–56 |language=en |isbn=978-1-59884-436-8}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Ostling |first1=Richard N. |date=29 November 1982 |title=Bishops and the Bomb |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,955097,00.html |magazine=Time}}</ref>

In 1995, Bernardin led an interfaith pilgrimage to the Middle East to meet with government and religious leaders in [[Israel]] and [[Palestine]] and promote peace.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Galloway |first1=Paul |date=23 March 1995 |title=Sun Rises on Bernardin's Interfaith Pilgrimage to Israel |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1995-03-23-9503230247-story.html |access-date=17 March 2020 |work=Chicago Tribune}}</ref> Bernardin condemned violence in [[Lebanon]], [[Israel]], and [[Northern Ireland]]<ref>{{cite news |date=18 November 2011 |title=Cardinal Bernardin Remembered 15 Years After His Passing |url=https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/11/18/cardinal-bernardin-remembered-15-years-after-his-passing/ |work=CBS Chicago}}</ref> and called for the Catholic Church to become a "peace church".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bruckner |first1=D. J. R. |date=1 May 1983 |title=Chicago's Activist Cardinal |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/05/01/magazine/chicago-s-activist-cardinal.html |access-date=17 March 2020 |work=The New York Times}}</ref>

==Criticism==
Neoconservative author [[George Weigel]] has been a severe critic of Bernardin and his influence in the Catholic Church in the United States. Weigel accused Bernardin of creating a "Bernardin Machine" to appoint bishops who dominated the American hierarchy for decades, and also of being the exponent of a "culturally accommodating Catholicism". He deemed the defeat of Bishop [[Gerald Frederick Kicanas|Gerald Kicanas]] by then-Archbishop [[Timothy Dolan]] for the presidency of the [[United States Conference of Catholic Bishops]], in November 2010, as "the end of the Bernardin era".<ref>[https://www.firstthings.com/article/2011/02/the-end-of-the-bernardin-era The End of the Bernardin Era, First Things, February 2011]</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Catholicism|Christianity|United States}}
{{Div col}}
* [[Catholic Church in the United States]]
* [[Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States]]
* [[Italians in Chicago]]
* [[List of Catholic bishops of the United States]]
* [[Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops]]
{{div col end}}
<!-- please keep entries in alphabetical order -->

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* Millies, Steven P. ''Joseph Bernardin: Seeking Common Ground'', Liturgical Press, 2016. {{ISBN|978-0-8146-4831-5}}.
* Bernardin, Joseph. ''The Gift of Peace: Personal Reflection'', Doubleday, 1998. {{ISBN|978-0-385-49434-2}}.
* Wall, A.E.P. ''The Spirit of Cardinal Bernardin'', Thomas More Press, 1983. {{ISBN|0-88347-156-6}}. Thomas More Press, 1997. {{ISBN|0-88347-379-8}}.
* {{cite book
 | last = Spilly
 | first = Alphonse P. 
 | title = Selected Works of Joseph Cardinal Bernardin: Church and society
 | publisher = Liturgical Press
 | date = 2000
 | page = 692 
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=s0YjtwfVaAYC&pg=PP1
 | isbn = 9780814625842
 }}
* {{cite book
 | last = Bernardin
 | first = Joseph 
 | editor = Langan, John
 | title = A Moral Vision for America
 | publisher = Georgetown University Press
 | date = 1998
 | url = https://archive.org/details/moralvisionforam00bern
 | url-access = registration
 | isbn = 9780878406760
 }}

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{{s-bef|before=[[John Krol]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[United States Conference of Catholic Bishops|President of the United States Catholic Conference and National Conference of Catholic Bishops]]|years=1974–1977}}
{{s-aft|after=[[John R. Quinn (bishop)|John R. Quinn]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Paul Francis Leibold]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati|Archbishop of Cincinnati]]|years=1972–1982}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Daniel Edward Pilarczyk]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[John Cody]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Roman Catholic Bishop of Chicago|Archbishop of Chicago]]|years=1982–1996}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Francis George]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago}}
{{Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati}}
{{Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta}}
{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston}}
{{Pacem in Terris Award laureates}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernardin, Joseph}}
[[Category:1928 births]]
[[Category:1996 deaths]]
[[Category:American people of Italian descent]]
[[Category:People from Columbia, South Carolina]]
[[Category:Catholics from South Carolina]]
[[Category:Religious leaders from South Carolina]]
[[Category:University of South Carolina alumni]]
[[Category:Catholic University of America alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century American cardinals]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic archbishops of Cincinnati]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic archbishops of Chicago]]
[[Category:Diocese of Charleston]]
[[Category:Cardinals created by Pope John Paul II]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic bishops of Atlanta]]
[[Category:Laetare Medal recipients]]
[[Category:Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients]]
[[Category:American consistent life ethics activists]]
[[Category:Presidents of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops]]
[[Category:Deaths from pancreatic cancer in Illinois]]
[[Category:Burials at the Bishop's Mausoleum, Mount Carmel Cemetery (Hillside)]]