AGE: 75 OCCUPATION: Archbishop of Chicago

His December comments comparing the Pride Parade to a KKK march have made him the bane of the local gay community, and he has polarized Catholic liberals with his stance on abortion and same-sex civil unions. But the influential priest has the pope in his corner and presides over the third-largest diocese in the country. Despite submitting in January the mandatory resignation letter required for all cardinals who turn 75, George is unlikely to go anywhere: Vatican watchers expect him to serve two more years.

MORE ON GEORGE: Our September 2005 profile

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Photograph: Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune