FOLLOWING the death of Cardinal John Cody, Chicago's two daily newspapers immediately began speculating on the identity of his successor.
-At-the topeief-both newspapers' lists was Archbishop Joseph L. Bernardin of Cincinnati, a former president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.
But the two papers also listed a variety of other candidates, including one who is not a bishop: Holy Cross Father Theodore M. Hesburgh, president of the University of Notre Dame.
It probably will be months before Pope John Paul II announces a successor to head the nation's largest archdiocese of 2.5 million Catholics.
Of the potential candidates six were mentioned by both The Chicago Tribune and its Chicago rival, the Sun-Times. They were: Archbishop Bernardin, 54, who is a former general secretary of the NCCB and its civil action arm, the US Catholic Conference; Archbishop John R. Roach, 60, of St Paul-Minneapolis, the current president of the ,NCCB; Archbishop John R. Quinn, 53, of San Francisco, the immediate past president of the NCCB; Archbishop John L. May, 60, of St. Louis, a native of the Chicago Archdiocese and an auxiliary bishop to Cardinal Cody for two years in the late 1960s; Archbishop Francis T. Hurley, 55, of Anchorage, a former associate secretary in Washington of NCCB-USCC. Fr Hesburgh, 64, who recently agreed to remain president of Notre Dame for five more years after originally intending to step down this year.