Francis George | Chicago cardinal, 78

Cardinal Francis George, 78, a vigorous defender of Roman Catholic orthodoxy, died Friday, according to the Archdiocese of Chicago.

He retired as Chicago archbishop in the fall of 2014 and announced in December 2014 that doctors had determined that treatment for the cancer found on his kidney had failed.

Appointed to Chicago in 1997 by Pope John Paul II, Cardinal George became a leading figure in many of the most important events in the American church.

He oversaw the new English-language translation of the Roman Missal, one of the biggest changes in Catholic worship in generations. In 2002, at the height of the abuse crisis, he led a group of U.S. bishops who persuaded resistant Vatican officials they should more quickly oust guilty priests.

In his three years as president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Cardinal George spearheaded opposition to the Affordable Care Act, arguing that President Obama's health insurance plan would use taxpayer money for funding abortion. - AP