Cardinal Bernardin

The life of Chicago's cardinal Joseph Bernardin is examined with admiration and an insider's bias by Kennedy, a former priest who chairs the department of psychology at Loyola University of Chicago. He characterizes Bernardin ``in his mannered, talented ways, reluctant to hurt others,'' as masterly in his capacity to accommodate tensions between tradition and growth in American Catholicism. Kennedy follows Bernardin's developing leadership in such thorny patches as his predecessor's scandal-touched administration of diocesan finances, his articulation as head of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops of Catholic positions on issues such as abortion and nuclear armament. Kennedy's portrait reveals a modest man, a priest who may have ``set the American church on a revitalized course.'' Photos not seen by PW. 60,000 first printing; author tour. (Oct.)