Article updated: 2/18/2013 9:33 AM

Cardinal George going to Rome next week

Cardinal George going to Rome next week

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Cardinal Francis George appears Friday night in his first public appearance since being diagnosed with cancer.

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Chicago's Cardinal Francis George says he plans to leave Feb. 26 for Rome in preparation for a conclave to choose the next pope of the Roman Catholic Church.George spoke at Mass on Sunday at St. Bride Church on Chicago's South Side. Pope Benedict XVI stunned the world last week when he announced he would resign the papacy. He officially steps down Feb. 28. WMAQ-TV reports Cardinal George called the change of church leadership "a huge moment."