Cardinal Cupich: Sen. Durbin 'has decided not to receive' controversial award

Ten bishops had spoken out due to the Catholic senator's longstanding public position in favor of abortion.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, speaks at a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington March 1, 2023. (OSV News photo/Sarah Silbiger, Reuters) (Courtesy photo of Sarah Silbiger)

(OSV News) -- Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., has decided not to receive a "Lifetime Achievement Award," scheduled to be presented in November at the archdiocese's "Keep Hope Alive" celebration, according to a statement by Chicago Cardinal Blase J. Cupich Sept. 30.

The award, scheduled to be given to Durbin for his work on immigration issues, had met with significant opposition from several Catholic bishops due to the Catholic senator's longstanding public position in favor of abortion.

"While I am saddened by this news, I respect his decision," Cardinal Cupich said in his statement. "But I want to make clear that the decision to present him an award was specifically in recognition of his singular contribution to immigration reform and his unwavering support of immigrants, which is so needed in our day."

The decision comes only hours after Pope Leo XIV commented on Cardinal Cupich's decision to give Durbin the award, saying he was "not terribly familiar with the particular case."

An EWTN News reporter asked Pope Leo about "Cardinal Cupich giving an award to Sen. Durbin" saying, "some people of faith are having a hard time with understanding this because he is pro or rather he is for legalized abortion. How would you help people of faith right now decipher that, feel about that, and how do you feel about that?"

"I am not terribly familiar with the particular case," he responded. "I think that it's important to look at the overall work that a senator has done during, if I'm not mistaken, 40 years of service in the United States Senate. I understand the difficulty and the tensions. But I think as I myself have spoken in the past, it's important to look at many issues that are related to what is the teaching of the church."

"Someone who says I'm against abortion but says 'I'm in favor of the death penalty' is not really pro-life," the pope continued. "Someone who says that 'I'm against abortion but I'm in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants who are in the United States,' I don't know if that's pro life."

"So they are very complex issues, and I don't know if anyone has all the truth on them," the pope said, "but I would ask first and foremost that they would have respect for one another and that we search together both as human beings, in that case as American citizens or citizens of the state of Illinois, as well as Catholics, to say that we need to, you know, really look closely at all of these ethical issues. And to find the way forward as a church. The church teaching on each one of those issues is very clear."

Cardinal Cupich and the Archdiocese of Chicago's Office of Human Dignity and Solidarity Immigration Ministry were scheduled to give Durbin the award Nov. 3 at an event supporting the Archdiocese of Chicago's local Immigration Ministry and National Pastoral Migratoria.

In his statement, Cardinal Cupich said in his 50 years as a priest, he has "seen the divisions within the Catholic community dangerously deepen. These divisions harm the unity of the church and undermine our witness to the Gospel. Bishops cannot simply ignore this situation because we have a duty to promote unity and assist all Catholics to embrace the teachings of the church as a consistent whole."

In a Sept. 24 interview with OSV News, Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois -- in whose diocese Durbin resides, according to his official biography -- said that presenting the award would be "contrary to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' statement on 'Catholics in Political Life'" which states "The Catholic community and Catholic Institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions." He added that the Archdiocese of Chicago has a similar policy that the award would violate.

Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois -- in whose diocese Durbin resides, according to his official biography -- was the first of 10 bishops to speak out in an interview with The Pillar Sept. 20.

In a Sept. 24 interview with OSV News, he said that presenting the award would be "contrary to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' statement on 'Catholics in Political Life'" which states "The Catholic community and Catholic Institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions." He added that the Archdiocese of Chicago has a similar policy that the award would violate.

In a statement Sept. 22, Cardinal Cupich said Durbin purchased a condo in Chicago "some years ago" and "considers me to be his bishop."

Bishop Paprocki told OSV News that while Durbin "has a condominium in Chicago," he "still has his home here in Springfield. I would say I'm still his bishop as far as that is concerned."

Cardinal Cupich said he has "remained faithful to the May 2021 instructions of the then-Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, advising bishops to 'reach out to and engage in dialogue with Catholic politicians within their jurisdictions ... as a means of understanding the nature of their positions and their comprehension of Catholic teaching.'"

Referring to the 2021 CDF (now DDF, or Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith) letter encouraging the U.S. bishops to dialogue with Catholic politicians, Bishop Paprocki told OSV News, "That's fine. I do that. I've had dialogue with Sen. Durbin. But when a bishop is trying to do that and the politician ignores it, well then you have to take some steps."

Bishop Paprocki noted that Durbin has been barred from Communion in the Diocese of Springfield since 2004 when "the pastor of his parish here, Blessed Sacrament Parish in Springfield, was then Msgr. Kevin Vann. He's now Bishop Kevin Vann, the bishop of Orange, California. And he told -- back then -- Senator Durbin that he shouldn't go to Communion, and that was upheld by my predecessor, Bishop George Lucas, who's now Archbishop Emeritus of Omaha."

In addition to Bishop Paprocki, nine bishops have now spoken out against Durbin receiving the award. See what they had to say below.

1) On Sept. 21, Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of San Francisco posted on X his support of Bishop Paprocki, saying, "I stand in solidarity with Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois, in urging Cardinal Cupich to reconsider giving Senator Durbin a Lifetime Achievement Award through the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office of Human Dignity and Solidarity given his long record of supporting legal abortion.

"Bishop Paprocki, who is Senator Dick Durbin's bishop, has expressed shock that the Archdiocese plans to honor Senator Durbin who, although a self-professed Catholic, supports access to abortion so radically that he has even opposed legislation to protect babies born after an attempted abortion. Bishop Paprocki is correct that both clarity and unity are at risk. I hope this will be a clarion call to all members of the Body of Christ to speak out to make clear the grave evil that is the taking of innocent human life."

2) On Sept. 22, Bishop Joseph Strickland, formerly of Tyler, Texas, wrote on X, "I join Archbishop Cordileone in supporting Bishop Paprocki and urging Cardinal Cupich to reverse his decision regarding Senator Durbin. I also commend Bishop Paprocki for caring for the Senators soul and barring him from receiving Communion."

3) Bishop James D. Conley of Lincoln, Nebraska, wrote on X on Sept. 23: "I too was shocked and bewildered to learn of this Lifetime Achievement Award to be presented to U.S. Senator Dick Durbin. The senator's public record has been consistently pro-abortion and he has opposed any protections or safeguards for unborn children in the womb, even to the point of rejecting legislation to protect children who survive failed abortions."

4) Bishop James S. Wall of Gallup, New Mexico, posted Sept. 24 simply, "Thank you @BishopPaproki" on X, in response to a formal fraternal correction that the Springfield bishop had written in First Things to Cardinal Cupich.

5) Also posting Sept. 24 was Bishop David Ricken of Green Bay, who said, "The Archdiocese of Chicago’s plan to give @SenatorDurbin a Catholic “Lifetime Achievement Award” is untenable. Works of justice & protecting life are not mutually exclusive but must be inclusive. Abortion violates “Thou shalt not kill” (Ex 20:13). I join @BishopPaprocki & @ArchCordileone in urging @CardinalBCupich to retract this award. Let us together pray & act consistently for life!"

6) Bishop Michael F. Olson of Fort Worth, Texas wrote Sept. 25, "Cardinal Cupich could promote peace and unity by withdrawing the invitation to Senator Durbin to receive an award and instead use the event to highlight the many ways in which human life and dignity are defended and promoted in the Archdiocese of Chicago and elsewhere."

7) Bishop Carl A. Kemme of Wichita, Kansas also wrote Sept. 25, "As a former priest of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, I support Bishop Thomas John Paprocki, in his objection to awarding Senator Richard Durbin, who is from Springfield, a lifetime achievement honor. It is my opinion that his long held views and consistent votes promoting abortion clearly disqualify him for this award by the Archdiocese of Chicago. As a brother bishop, I urge Cardinal Cupich to withdraw this honor, which will ultimately cause scandal and confusion among the faithful."

8) On Sept. 26, Bishop James V. Johnston of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Missouri wrote, "The recent decision by the Archdiocese of Chicago to bestow honors on a prominent politician who has consistently and notoriously worked against the protection of the vulnerable lives of the unborn cannot be reconciled with Catholic Social and Moral teaching. Indeed, to do so would give a confusing counter-witness about the dignity of the human person and the grave evil of destroying innocent human life. I hope and pray that the decision will be reconsidered to eliminate confusion and scandal as well as protect the integrity of the teaching office of the Church."

9) On Sept. 27, the retired Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, formerly of Kansas City, Kansas told the National Catholic Register, that it is a "source of scandal" for Cupich to give Durbin this award and a case of "pastoral neglect." He said that "Dialogue does not require giving awards to Catholic political leaders who disregard the most fundamental of human rights, the right to life of the unborn" and that the USCCB "has consistently identified the protection of unborn children and their mothers from the tragedy of abortion as the primary human rights issue of our time."

Comments:

Faith79

October 2, 2025 1:53 p.m.

The real scandal is the USCCB not clutching their pearls over JD Vance and Catholic Republicans receiving Communion after taking healthcare away from poor families with children and their atrocious treatment of migrants.

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