Cardinal George shares how battle with cancer has impacted his faith

Chicago, Ill., Sep 26, 2006 / 22:00 pm

Almost two months after radical surgery for bladder and ureter cancer, Cardinal Francis George says he’s well on his way to recovery, thanks to the power of prayer.

The 69-year-old cardinal-archbishop of Chicago shared with the Sun-Times how his battle with cancer has impacted his faith.

The cardinal assured the paper that he is in good health, despite having lost 10 pounds. He is feeling much better and does not experience any pain.

“My biggest problem is from time to time overcoming weakness,” he told the newspaper, adding that this is usual in times of convalescence.

The cardinal said it was a humbling experience to have so many people praying for him.  “To have so many people who believe in God remembering you before the Lord, people that you've met maybe once or twice, who you barely met when they saw you, or not at all -- it tells you a little bit about that network of love that unites a bishop and his people that you can lose track of, because normally you're dealing with complaints and you're bound up with all kinds of administrative details,” he was quoted as saying.  “And that has changed my sense of priorities.”
 
The cardinal said he had felt a few times during the medical intervention the closeness of the Lord and the angels as people prayed and even close to death. “At those moments, that presence becomes more palpable and that veil between this world and the next becomes very thin,” he said. He said he faced the possibility of death with serenity and openness to the will of God.

The cardinal described his experience of others praying for him as “a comforting feeling.” He said he felt connected to those people who prayed for him.

“I could feel that their concern for me was very much a part of my life, and they were bringing me before the Lord,” he said. “I was never alone.”