Cardinal Cupich under fire over Lifetime Award for pro-abortion senator
The Catholic Herald • September 23, 2025
Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago is facing mounting criticism from two prominent American bishops.
Senator Dick Durbin, a long-serving Illinois Democrat with a record of supporting abortion legislation, is to receive a “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the Archdiocese of Chicago. The award, due to be presented on 3 November at the annual Keep Hope Alive fundraiser for the archdiocese’s immigration ministry, is intended to recognise Durbin’s decades of advocacy for migrants. The senator, who is Catholic, has been one of the principal sponsors of immigration reform in the U.S. Congress. Yet the choice has provoked a strong reaction because of Durbin’s longstanding support for abortion.
Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, in whose diocese Durbin’s official residence is located, said he was “shocked” at the announcement when speaking to The Pillar, citing the senator’s opposition to bills aimed at restricting late-term abortion and protecting infants who survive attempted terminations.
Bishop Paprocki reminded Cardinal Cupich that diocesan policy explicitly prohibits honours for figures who publicly oppose fundamental moral teachings of the Church. Durbin has also been barred from receiving Holy Communion since 2004.
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco quickly supported Bishop Paprocki, writing on X that “both clarity and unity are at risk” if the award is granted. He described abortion as “the taking of innocent human life” and urged Catholics to speak out against the decision.
The Archdiocese of Chicago responded with a statement from Cardinal Cupich, who argued that Catholic teaching on the dignity of life must be balanced with engagement. He cited the May 2021 instructions of the then-Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which advised 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.”
He pointed to Durbin’s record on immigration, poverty, and peace as reasons for recognition. “The annual celebration of immigrants, Keep Hope Alive, will recognise all the critically important contributions Senator Durbin has made to advance Catholic social teaching,” he said.
Cardinal Cupich also noted that Durbin had registered in a Chicago parish and therefore considered him to be under his pastoral care. He added that Vatican guidance encourages bishops to maintain dialogue with Catholic politicians.
However, Mary FioRito, a former vice chancellor of the archdiocese, told OSV News that the decision was “baffling”, insisting that the description of the prize as a lifetime award risked confusing the faithful. Pro-life advocates have also said the move is an explicitly inconsistent and un-Catholic choice that undermines the credibility of Church teaching.
Durbin has served in the Senate since 1997 and is currently the majority whip, the chamber’s second-ranking Democrat. Over the course of his career, he has consistently voted in favour of abortion access while also opposing the death penalty and championing immigration reform.
According to promotional materials, the Keep Hope Alive fundraiser will feature a reception and a separate VIP gathering with the cardinal, and is set to raise funds for the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Immigration Ministry and the National Pastoral Migratoria.
(Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP) (Photo by ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images)