Senator Durbin rejects cardinal’s award after outcry from US Church
Niwa Limbu • October 1, 2025
Illinois Senator Richard Durbin has declined a lifetime achievement award from the Archdiocese of Chicago after an outcry among senior Catholic leaders in the United States.
Cardinal Blase Cupich, who leads the Chicago archdiocese, announced on 30 September that Senator Durbin had informed him he would not accept the award, which had been due to be presented at the archdiocese's “Keep Hope Alive” celebration due to occur in November.
The honour was intended to recognise the senator’s work on immigration reform and his longstanding support for migrants, causes the cardinal described as urgently needed in today’s society.
Cardinal Cupich said he respected the senator’s decision but emphasised that the proposed award was strictly for his record on immigration.
“While I am saddened by this news, I respect his decision,” the cardinal wrote. “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 followed nearly two weeks of escalating controversy. Opposition began almost immediately after news of the award was made public, with Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois, saying he was “shocked” by the plan for the award.
Senator Durbin, who resides in Springfield, has been barred from receiving Holy Communion in the diocese for many years because of his consistent backing for legal abortion.
Bishop Paprocki warned that the award contradicted both the policies of the Chicago archdiocese and those of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
He added that the senator’s record, which includes opposition to measures aimed at protecting children who survive failed abortions, clearly fell into a category at odds with the US Church.
Since then, at least eight other bishops have joined him. They include Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, Bishop James Wall of Gallup, Bishop David Ricken of Green Bay, Bishop Carl Kemme of Wichita, Bishop James Johnston of Kansas City–St Joseph, Bishop Michael Olson of Fort Worth and Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, the retired Archbishop of Kansas City, Kansas.
Cardinal Cupich initially defended the decision to proceed with the award, stressing that it was not related to the senator’s position on abortion, rather it was related to his record on immigration. He pointed to Vatican guidance urging bishops to maintain dialogue with Catholic politicians, even those who diverge from Church teaching on key issues.
In a statement issued on 22 September, he argued that constructive engagement was the way forward and that recognition of Senator Durbin’s immigration work did not imply approval of his stance on abortion.
But criticism grew steadily in the days that followed. According to The Pillar, several bishops expressed concern privately to the leadership of the USCCB, urging a public clarification of Church policy. Senator Durbin’s decision to withdraw came just as a statement by the bishops' conference was being drafted.
The dispute has once again drawn attention to divisions among US bishops on how to respond to Catholic politicians who support legal abortion while advancing policies aligned with other areas of Catholic social teaching.
In 2004, the US bishops approved a statement declaring that Catholic institutions should not honour individuals who act in defiance of fundamental moral principles, a policy intended to provide clarity during that year’s presidential election. More than two decades later, the same policy remains at the centre of debate.
Senator Durbin’s withdrawal has brought the immediate controversy to a close, but commentators note that the US bishops’ conference remains divided while it increasingly has to face the difficulties of how best to address the political activity of Catholic legislators.
Photo: Sen. Richard Durbin speaks during a news conference following the weekly Senate Democrats policy luncheon at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, 4 March 2025. During the news conference Senate Democrats discussed President Trump's policies during his first few weeks in office ahead of the president's address to a joint session of Congress. (Photo by Tierney L. Cross/Getty Images.)