Catholics are saying their final goodbyes to the late Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, who was known as a vigorous defender of Roman Catholic orthodoxy.
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel are among the roughly 1,200 people attending Thursday's funeral Mass at the city's Holy Name Cathedral.
Seattle Archbishop J. Peter Sartain, a friend, says George lived a life "grounded in conviction."
George died Friday at age 78 after a long fight with cancer. He had a reputation for being an intellectual leader in the church.
Pope John Paul II appointed the Chicago native to lead the nation's third-largest archdiocese in 1997.
George retired last fall before announcing his treatment for kidney cancer had failed. He was replaced by Archbishop BlaseCupich.
