Cardinal Bernardin 's Life And Life Essay

Cardinal Bernardin “Because we esteem human life as sacred, we have a duty to protect and foster it at all stages of development from conception to natural death and in all circumstances. Because we acknowledge that human life is also social, society must protect and foster it" (“Consistent Ethic of Life” Bernardin). Once referred to as “the most influential bishop in the history of the American church,” Cardinal Bernardin was a prominent figure in the formation of the understanding of Catholic ethics. He attended Catholic elementary school, until he transitioned into public middle school and public high school. Joseph Bernardin enrolled into a seminary after encouragement from classmates at the University of South Carolina. He was ordained and largely successful in his early years. He mentored with Bishop Paul Hallinan, who will become a very influential figure in Bernardin’s life and writings. Hallinan taught him to “defend the principle,” a teaching Bernardin emulated in his life and on which he based much of his works. He was appointed as Hallinan’s auxiliary bishop, becoming the youngest bishop in the country. Later, he will be named archbishop of Cincinnati and, a few years later, archbishop of Chicago. In Chicago, he officially became Cardinal Bernardin in 1983. That same year, Bernardin and other influential bishops wrote The Challenge of Peace: God 's Promise and Our Response. He wrote most of his other significant works on Catholic ethics in the years…