The next archbishop of Chicago arrived in his new hometown Thursday.
Blase Cupich will be installed as the successor to Cardinal Francis George on Tuesday. He most recently served as bishop of Spokane, Washington.
The 77-year-old George is battling cancer.
Cupich says he was upgraded to first class during his trip, but ultimately gave the seat to another passenger.
He arrived at O'Hare International Airport around 3:15 p.m. after flying in from Baltimore, where he was attending the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Fall General Assembly.
"It's a bit demanding," Cupich said of the new job.
The 65-year-old Cupich is a native of Nebraska.
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The Chicago archdiocese is the nation's third-largest and among its most important. It serves more than 2.2 million parishioners.
According to the Catholic Diocese of Spokane, Cupich, was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Omaha in 1975. He was named Bishop of the Rapid City, South Dakota Archdiocese in 1998 before taking over the Spokane position in 2010.
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His designation to the Chicago Archdiocese was Pope Francis' first major appointment.
After his move to Chicago, Cupich have a lawsuit which will tug him back to the Pacific Northwest. The Archbishop-Designate is the plaintiff in a case in which he filed suit against his own law firm, Paine Hamblen, alleging malpractice.
