Cardinal George: Doctors Have Run Out Of Options For Him
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Cardinal Francis George, the retired archbishop of Chicago, said his cancer treatments have been stopped and doctors have run out of options.
"They've run out of tricks in the bag, if you like," he said. "The normal treatments now have been exhausted."
George, looking frail and moving with the help of crutches, said he's not keeping entirely still. He says doctors are trying to manage his quality of life and that he still hears confessions most Thursdays at Holy Name Cathedral.
He has not yet decided whether he'll meet with his fellow Cardinals in Rome. The consistory, as it's called, begins in two weeks.
"The uncertainty is based precisely on the fact you don't know what's going to come next and that always leads to an attitude that says I'll take the time that I have as a gift and recognize that I can't take anything for granted," George told reporters.
He was out Friday to accept an award from the Knights of Columbus, which includes $100,000 in cash. He's splitting that sum between Catholic Charities and the schools of the Chicago Archdiocese.
George retains the title of Cardinal, even though he stepped down Nov. 18 as the leader of the 2.3 million Roman Catholics in Cook and Lake Counties in Illinois.
Blase Cupich became Chicago's archbishop, and Cardinal George said the transition has gone extremely smoothly.