In a stunning turn of events, pro-abortion Senator Dick Durbin is declining the controversial Lifetime Achievement Award he was slated to receive next month from Cardinal Blase Cupich.
As LifeNews has extensively reported, Cupich faces heavy criticism from millions of Catholics and even fellow Catholic Church leaders for his decision to bestow a Lifetime Achievement Award on Durbin. Cupich claims Durbin’s record on other political issues somehow makes up for supporting the slaughter of 66 million babies in abortions.
Cupich faced condemnation from multiple bishops and criticism from Catholics nationwide over his decision to give an award to the radically pro-abortion politician who has spent decades defending the killing of unborn babies.
Cupich announced that Durbin has declined to receive the award – bringing an end to the embarrassing scandal that saw him put other political issues over the slaughter of 66 million babies.
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“Senator Durbin today informed me that he has decided not to receive an award at our Keep Hope Alive celebration. While I am saddened by this news, I respect his decision. 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,” he said.
In his statement about Durbin’s decision, the Catholic leader defended the award – claiming no politicians are truly Catholic in their voting.
“Some would say that the Church should never honor a political leader if he pursues policies diametrically opposed to critical elements of Catholic social teaching. But the tragic reality in our nation today is that there are essentially no Catholic public officials who consistently pursue the essential elements of Catholic social teaching because our party system will not permit them to do so,” he argued.
He claims that “praise and encouragement” will open the minds of politicians like Durbin “to consider how to extend their good work to other areas and issues.” He said pro-abortion politicians don’t want “ to engage with someone who treats them as a thoroughgoing moral threat to the community.”
Cupich said he hoped the award would become “an invitation to Catholics who fiercely defend the vulnerable on the border between the United States and Mexico to ponder why the Church defends the vulnerable on the border between life and death, as in cases of abortion and euthanasia.”
He said “it could be an invitation to Catholics who tirelessly promote the dignity of the unborn, the elderly, and the sick to extend the circle of protection to immigrants facing in this present moment an existential threat.”
“It is also important to clearly state that it would be wrong to interpret the decisions regarding the Keep Hope Alive event as a softening of our position on abortion,” Cupich said – even though the award would be endorsing a politician who voted for infanticide and abortions up to birth.
“I believe it would be worthwhile to schedule some synodal gatherings for members of the faithful to experience listening to each other with respect on these issues, all the while remaining open to maturing more fully in their common identity as Catholics,” he added. “I welcome suggestions.”
In speaking out against the award were: Bishop Michael Olson of Fort Worth, Texas; Bishop Thomas Paprocki, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of California, Bishop James Conley of Nebraska, Bishop David Ricken of Wisconsin, Bishop Carl Kemme of Kansas, Bishop James Wall of New Mexico; Bishop James Johnston, Jr. of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, and retired Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City.
“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,” Bishop Johnston said in a statement.
“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,” he added. “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.”
Naumann, the retired archbishop of Kansas City, Kansas and former head of the U.S. bishops’ pro-life committee, in a statement released to the National Catholic Register, Naumann said it is a “source of scandal” to give an award to Dubin and reward him for his decades-long promotion of abortion, calling it a case of “pastoral neglect.”
“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,” he said in his statement.
Archbishop Naumann emphasized 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.”
He explained that the bishops’ conference takes this position because abortion: “attacks the life of the most innocent and vulnerable;” “harms the family and the most fundamental of human relationships by pitting the welfare of mothers against the lives of their own children;” destroys innocent life on a “horrific magnitude,” and harms the women involved “physically, emotionally and spiritually.”
“Moreover, legalized abortion encourages the irresponsibility of men by absolving them from providing for the children they have fathered as well as caring for their mothers,” Archbishop Naumann said.
“Ignoring the policies and recommendations of the Bishops Conference is not synodal and serves to fracture unity,” he added.
Meanwhile, Cupich’s office has canceled two meetings the Catholic leader was scheduled to attend where he would face criticism of his planned award for a radical pro-abortion senator.
Now, new reports indicate Cupich is cancelling meetings where he would face public criticism for his decision.
John Breen, a board member of the Catholic Conference of Illinois (CCI), asked on Sept. 23 that Cardinal Cupich’s plan to give Sen. Dick Durbin a “lifetime achievement award” at an upcoming archdiocesan fundraiser be added to the agenda of a Sept. 25 board meeting because the honor risked undermining the group’s advocacy work.
“All of our work is premised upon the dignity of the human person,” said Breen, a law professor at Loyola University Chicago and the Diocese of Joliet’s lay representative on the CCI board. “And yet you’re going to honor a man who denies the dignity of a whole class of persons? It makes no sense. So, I don’t see why we, as a body, wouldn’t address the issue.”
But no discussion took place. The CCI board meeting, which had been scheduled months in advance, was canceled on Sept. 24, just one day before it was set to take place at the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Catholic cemeteries office. A separate meeting of Illinois’ bishops that was scheduled to follow, during which Cardinal Cupich had indicated the Durbin award would be discussed, was also canceled.
Cupich’s office says there wouldn’t be a quorum for the Catholic Conference meeting and so it was canceled. But pro-life advocates aren’t buying the excuse.
Breen pushed back on Cupich’s line of thinking, arguing that Durbin’s radical support for abortion, of which there were an estimated 89,770 in Illinois last year, makes the Democrat senator “the poster child for the ‘inconsistent ethic of life.’”
And Breen added that, had the CCI meeting taken place as scheduled, he would have criticized the Durbin award despite the topic not being added to the agenda.
“He is a man who is not worthy of being honored by the Catholic Church,” said Breen. “It sends the message that abortion is not truly important and is not a matter of social justice. It undermines the efforts of faithful pro-lifers and Catholic politicians who work for a truly consistent ethic of life. It cuts them off at the knees.”
Breen, who has been a CCI board member since 2012, is convinced that the Durbin controversy was the underlying reason that the meeting did not take place.
“It seemed to me that this was a convenient way of avoiding the issue when, let’s face it, there’s been a public outcry,” he told the Register.
With Cupich refusing to restore unity by revoking an award for a radically pro-abortion politician, one Catholic leader is trying a new tact.
Bill Donohue of the Catholic League is urging to Durbin to refuse the award. It seems highly unlikely that the pro-abortion Democrat will back down from receiving an award honoring him – especially since he is unrepentant for decades of supporting unlimited abortions. But Donohue is giving it a shot anyway.
“I issued a news release about a “Lifetime Achievement Award” being given to Sen. Dick Durbin on November 3 by the Archdiocese of Chicago. As I detailed, it was already setting off alarms among the clergy and the laity,” he said in a statement today. “The reason is simple: there has never been an abortion he couldn’t justify; his voting record on other matters is also in opposition to core Catholic teachings.”
Donohue is now hoping Durbin will help end the controversy.
“I wrote an open letter to Sen. Durbin noting the divisions this issue is causing in the Catholic community. I asked that he decline the award and put this issue to rest,” he explained, saying he sent it late last week.
He has received no response.
As a result, Donohue is now calling on Catholics to ask Durbin to refuse the award.
“As you know, many bishops have criticized Cardinal Blase Cupich for naming Sen. Durbin as the recipient of this Catholic award. As lay Catholics, it falls to us to persuade the lay party to this dispute, namely Sen. Durbin, to change his mind,” he said. “We need as many Catholics as possible to petition Sen. Durbin to decline the award. Please do so, and ask your family and friends to follow suit.”
Contact Durbin’s chief of staff, Pat Souders: pat_souders@durbin.senate.gov
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Instead of backing down and changing course, Cupich has told Catholics to pound sand.
In a statement at the web site of the Archdiocese, Cupich defended the award and said he is Durbin’s bishop – not the bishop who has told Durbin he can’t receive communion for violating the pro-life teachings of the Catholic Church.
“Recently some have criticized the decision of the Archdiocese of Chicago to recognize Senator Dick Durbin at our annual fundraiser for our immigration ministry, Keep Hope Alive. Senator Durbin informed me some years ago that he had purchased a condo in Chicago, registered in a parish of the archdiocese and considers me to be his bishop,” Cupich wrote.
Instead of holding Dubin accountable for years of promoting and voting for killing babies in abortions up to birth, Cupich claims he’s dialoging with Durbin. Never mind that such dialog hasn’t gotten the Democrat senator to back down from his radical pro-abortion position nor moved him to vote pro-life as a faithful Catholic.
“Accordingly, I have 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,” Cupich claims.
Cupich then dismisses Durbin’s violation of pro-life teachings by saying that abortion is just a “single issue,” so somehow that excuses Durbin’s votes for infanticide and unlimited abortions. The single issue is responsible for killing 66 million babies since 1973 when Roe was handed down, but apparently that’s not enough for Cupich to take action to hold Durbin accountable.
In Cupich’s mind, Durbin has been good enough on immigration to excuse his votes supporting genocide and killing tens of millions of babies.
“At the heart of the consistent ethic of life is the recognition that Catholic teaching on life and dignity cannot be reduced to a single issue, even an issue as important as abortion. The annual celebration of immigrants, Keep Hope Alive, will recognize all the critically important contributions Senator Durbin has taken to advance Catholic social teaching in the areas of immigration, the care of the poor, Laudato Si’, and world peace. The recognition of his defense of immigrants at this moment, when they are subjected to terror and harm, is not something to be regretted, but a reflection that the Lord stands profoundly with both immigrants who are in danger and those who work to protect them.”
The award is prompting fierce backlash from pro-life advocates who decry the decision as a betrayal of pro-life Catholic teachings and a grave scandal that violates the sanctity of life.
Illinois Right to Life is rallying Catholics to contact the Archdiocese’s Office of Human Dignity and Solidarity Director Jose Coronel or call 312-534-8200 to voice their disapproval, urging the Church to uphold its mission to defend the vulnerable and reject complicity in abortion’s violence.
Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield Illinois, Durbin’s home diocese, has issued a scathing statement calling for Cupich to rescind the award.
“I was shocked to learn that the Archdiocese of Chicago plans to honor Senator Richard Durbin with a Lifetime Achievement Award through its Office of Human Dignity and Solidarity Immigration,” Paprocki said.
He said Durbin’s voting record for infanticide and abortions up to birth is diametrically opposed to Catholic teachings affirming the sanctity of human life.
“Given Senator Durbin’s long and consistent record of supporting legal abortion — including opposing legislation to protect children who survive failed abortions — this decision risks causing grave scandal, confusing the faithful about the Church’s unequivocal teaching on the sanctity of human life,” Bishop Paprocki wrote. “Honoring a public figure who has actively worked to expand and entrench the right to end innocent human life in the womb undermines the very concept of human dignity and solidarity that the award purports to uphold.”
Paprocki wrote how Durbin has been prevented from receiving communion because of his abortion advocacy.
“Senator Durbin, who has been barred from receiving Holy Communion in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois since 2004 for his public support of abortion, should not be celebrated by the Church. This decision not only contradicts the Church’s moral doctrine but also sows confusion about the seriousness of abortion and the integrity of Catholic witness in public life,” Bishop Paprocki added. “I urge Cardinal Cupich to reconsider this action for the sake of clarity, unity, and fidelity to the Gospel of Life.”
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco wrote on X that he agrees with Paprocki.
“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,” Archbishop Cordileone wrote.
He added: “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.”
Illinois Right to Life, a leading statewide pro-life organization, condemned the award, to be presented by the Archdiocese’s Office of Human Dignity and Solidarity, as a stark contradiction to the Church’s unwavering stance on the dignity of the unborn.
“The Church emphasizes that human beings are integrated persons and that we cannot live in spiritual harmony if we are denying even one aspect of the truth of the faith,” said Illinois Right to Life President Mary Kate Zander in comments to LifeNews. “Presenting Dick Durbin with an award – and from the Office of Human Dignity, no less – is an explicitly inconsistent and un-Catholic choice by Cardinal Cupich. Not only does it cause scandal among the faithful by creating confusion, it also puts the Senator’s soul at risk by failing to hold him accountable for his refusal to oppose abortion in the U.S. Senate.”
Durbin, a self-professed Catholic elected to the Senate in 1997, has consistently opposed pro-life legislation, earning sharp criticism from pro-life advocates who view his record as antithetical to the Church’s defense of life from conception. He voted against the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, which prohibited late-term abortion procedures, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which sought to ban abortions after 20 weeks when unborn children may feel pain, and the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which would have mandated life-saving care for infants born alive during failed abortions.
Durbin also backed the Women’s Health Protection Act, which aimed to codify Roe v. Wade and usher in abortions up to birth, despite the Supreme Court’s ruling that it was unconstitutional.
His actions extend beyond votes.
During the 2020 confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, Durbin questioned her about identifying as an “orthodox Catholic” and whether she wore a rosary, remarks pro-life Catholics saw as dismissive of faithful adherence to Church doctrine.
In 2021, Durbin was barred from receiving Holy Communion in his home diocese of Springfield, Illinois, by Bishop Thomas Paprocki due to his voting record.
Cardinal Cupich’s decision to honor Durbin has reignited scrutiny of his approach to abortion, particularly after he delivered the opening prayer at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where support for abortion has been a party platform staple since 1980.
