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What were Cardinal Joseph Bernardin’s accomplishments?

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Among the accomplishments of Cardinal Joseph Bernardin—who served as archbishop of Cincinnati, Ohio (1972–82), and Chicago (1982–96)—was his development of the consistent ethic of life, a moral framework that calls for Roman Catholics to stand in opposition to issues that threaten any stage of life, including war, poverty, nuclear proliferation, euthanasia, abortion, and capital punishment.

Bernardin also laid the groundwork for the Roman Catholic Church’s first policies regarding sexual abuse by clergy, and he initiated interreligious dialogue and AIDS-prevention efforts.

Earlier in his career, Bernardin served as general secretary (1968–72) and president (1974–77) of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (now the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops), and he collaborated on a groundbreaking study of the American priesthood with psychologist Eugene Kennedy and sociologist Andrew Greeley.