Hundreds mourn Bernardin in Chicago

CHICAGO (CNN) -- More than a thousand mourners gathered Wednesday at Holy Name Cathedral to pay their respects to Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, who died last week after a bout with cancer. He was 68. (43 sec. /1.7M QuickTime movie)

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Cardinal Roger Mahoney of Los Angeles presided over the Mass, which was attended by Vice President Al Gore and his wife, Tipper; papal representative Cardinal William Baum and other Roman Catholic cardinals; 150 bishops from around the world; several cabinet members; local and state officials; and several members of Bernardin's family.

"With the obedience of faith, Joseph Bernardin embraced suffering," Baum said of Bernardin's final illness.

But Bernardin's funeral was not just addressed by the upper echelons of the Roman Catholic hierarchy; the gathered dignitaries also heard from Monsignor Ken Velo, the cardinal's assistant and frequent chauffeur, the man Bernardin's 92-year-old mother refers to as "the regular driver."

Tens of thousands of mourners had filed past Bernardin's casket as it lay in state from Monday through Wednesday morning in the cathedral. The seemingly endless line of mourners was interrupted briefly Tuesday while Jewish leaders held a memorial service for the Roman Catholic leader, who accompanied them on a journey to the Holy Land last year.

"Had there been more people like him during the Holocaust, there would be more people like us now," said Rabbi Byron L. Sherwin of Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies.

Bernardin is remembered as a soft-spoken man who mediated disputes among bishops and between liberal and conservative church factions.

Following the Mass, the funeral procession made a 20-mile trip through Chicago's west side neighborhoods and suburbs on its way to Mt. Carmel Cemetery. There, Bernardin's body was interred in the Bishop's Chapel, a Romanesque mausoleum with intricate mosaics overlooking the tombs of past Chicago church leaders.

Related stories:

• Vice president going to Bernardin Mass - November 19, 1996
• Chicago mourns beloved Bernardin - November 18, 1996
• Chicago publicly mourns Bernardin - November 17, 1996

Related site:

• Memorial: Joseph Cardinal Bernardin

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