John Cody

Cody was appointed Archbishop of Chicago, on June 14, 1965, and installed August 24, 1965. He was elevated to 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.[5][6] 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."[7]

Despite the fact that approximately $1 million of church funds disappeared under Cody's tenure,[8] 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.[9]

Roy Larsen, the religion editor of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote:

"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 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."[10]

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 excessive progressivism and radicalism on the part of Jadot.

Cody butted heads with Fr George Clements for similar reasons, as local Black Catholics sought more Black representation in the local pastorate, especially at Black parishes. Cody attempted to circumvent requests for Clements to be named pastor of his parish by placing a different Black priest as pastor there, a pastorally inexperienced Fr Lamberts. A series of racially-charged town hall meetings that followed would eventually result in Fr Lamberts opposing Cody's leadership—agreeing with Clements and others that he was a (perhaps unintentional) "racist"—and himself requesting for Clements to be made pastor. Cody would eventually concede.

Moreover, 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 St Anthony of Padua with an altar to Martin Luther King Jr., which Clements attempted to justify by using the concept of 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 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. Eventually Cody did withdraw financial support from Clements' parish and they would for a time operate via fundraisers and special appeals.

The opposition waned as Cody's health declined in the early 1980s. He was succeeded in the summer of 1982 by Joseph Bernardin.

Cardinal Cody's final resting place