The archbishop of Seattle will give the homily at Cardinal Francis George's funeral Thursday at Holy Name Cathedral.
Multiple sources in the Archdiocese told NBC Chicago that Archbishop Peter Sartain was chosen for the role. Prior to becoming the archbishop of Seattle in 2010, he was the bishop of Joliet.
Archbishop Sartain is believed to be the cardinal's personal choice to succeed him, according to a tweet by Rocco Palmo, a Catholic commentator and founder of the Philadelphia-based blog "Whispers in the Loggia."
Pope Francis instead chose Archbishop Blase Cupich to succeed Cardinal George in 2014 after the cardinal retired due to his battle with cancer.
Archbishop Sartain was appointed by the Vatican and Pope Benedict XVI to investigate a nuns' group called the Leadership Conference of Women Religious over concerns that the nuns encouraged teachings that strayed from Catholic doctrine, particularly regarding birth control, sexuality and male-only priesthood.
The Vatican and Pope Francis quietly ended its investigation this week.
Cardinal George passed away Friday morning at the age of 78 after years of battling cancer.
