New cardinal used to be bishop of Spokane

SPOKANE — The former Catholic bishop of Spokane has been appointed a cardinal by Pope Francis.

Blase Cupich led the Spokane diocese from 2010 to 2014, helping to fix a church bankrupted by settlements involving clergy sex abuse.

The Spokesman-Review says Cupich is now the archbishop of Chicago, the third-largest Catholic diocese in the United States.

In Spokane, he is remembered for moving quickly against what he saw as a flawed settlement with sex abuse victims.

Cupich retained new legal counsel and led changes that ultimately brought closure to the case.

Before he came to Spokane in 2010, he was the bishop for 12 years in Rapid City, S.D.