
<p>The decision to honor Illinois Senator Dick Durbin with an award from the Archdiocese of Chicago, despite his long-standing pro-abortion record, is a scandalous affront to Catholic doctrine and a betrayal of the Church’s moral authority. ;</p>



<p>Catholic clergy, parishioners and members of the pro-life community were outraged when Chicago Archbishop Blase Cardinal Cupich announced plans to present Durbin with a Lifetime Achievement Award. ; Although Durbin has succumbed to pressure and decided not to accept the award, the controversy has exposed a moral duplicity on the part of the Catholic Church – and Pope Leo.</p>



<p>The award is said to be for his advocacy on immigration reform – but “lifetime achievement” suggests a broader recognition.  ;Also, his support of the Democrats’ open borders policy – which has brought death, abuse and hardships to tens of thousands of migrants – seems hardly worthy of any award.</p>



<p>The award was to be presented at the archdiocese’s ironically named “Keep Hope Alive” celebration. The backlash was swift and fierce. Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois—Durbin’s home diocese—publicly condemned the decision, reiterating that Durbin has been barred from receiving Holy Communion since 2004 due to his unwavering support for legalized abortion.</p>



<p>This controversy reached the Vatican, where Pope Leo XIV weighed in with a tepid defense of the award. He stated that it was important to consider the “overall work” of the senator, citing his decades of service and support for immigrants. The Pope’s remarks make no sense. ; Critics of the award were the ones considering Durbin’s “overall work”. ; ;</p>



<p>Leo echoes the same equivocation that plagued Pope Francis—an unwillingness to enforce Church law when it comes to abortion, a sin so grave that many theologians consider it grounds for automatic excommunication. ; According to Catholic doctrine, the sin is so grave that it separates the person not only from the Church, but from the loving grace of God.</p>



<p>Let us be clear. ; Abortion is not a political issue. It is a moral one. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches unequivocally that abortion and abortion advocacy aree “grave offense” and a violation of the Fifth Commandment— “Thou shalt not kill.”  ;To honor a politician who has consistently voted to expand abortion access is to undermine the credibility of the Church’s teaching on the sanctity of life. It sends a dangerous message that political expediency and social activism can excuse even the most grievous moral transgressions as defined by the Catholic Church.</p>



<p>Durbin’s record on abortion is not ambiguous. He voted against bans even on gruesome late-term abortions (which more than 90 percent of Americans oppose), supported federal funding for abortion providers, and opposed conscience protections for pro-life medical professionals. These positions are not compatible with Catholic teaching. Bishop Paprocki rightly stated that Durbin is “unfit to receive any Catholic honor,” and that honoring him would cause “grave scandal”.</p>



<p>The scandal is compounded by the fact that Pope Leo, an Illinois native, chose to defend the award rather than uphold the Church’s moral standards. His comments suggest a troubling trend among Church leadership—a preference for dialogue over discipline, for inclusivity over integrity.</p>



<p>This is not an isolated incident. The Catholic Church has long struggled with how to handle pro-abortion politicians who profess the faith while publicly defying its fundamental teachings. President Biden, a self-described “devout Catholic,” has never been admonished by Pope Francis. ; In fact, Biden was warmly received by Francis, who never raised the issue of abortion in conversations with the President. After their last meeting, Biden claimed that the Pontiff told him that he was “a good Catholic”.</p>



<p>But some cardinals have taken action. ; Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco barred former Speaker Nancy Pelosi from receiving Communion in her home diocese. Other politicians who have faced Communion bans or public rebukes include Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, Governor Gavin Newsom of California, and former Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts.</p>



<p>These politicians often invoke their Catholic identity while promoting policies that directly contradict Church doctrine. They claim to be personally opposed to abortion but continue to actively support abortion-on-demand. This moral compartmentalization is not only intellectually dishonest—it is spiritually corrupt. It confuses the faithful and erodes the Church’s witness in the world.</p>



<p>Cupich’s justification—that the award was solely for Durbin’s work on immigration—is disingenuous. The Church cannot separate a politician’s record into morally acceptable and unacceptable compartments. Catholic social teaching is holistic. It demands a consistent ethic of life—from the unborn developing human being.</p>



<p>Despite Durbin’s decision to decline the award, the damage to the Church has already been done. The controversy has again exposed deep divisions within the hierarchy and raised serious questions about the Church’s commitment to its own teachings. ; As the rhetorical question goes: ; Who will heed an uncertain trumpet?</p>



<p>If the Church is to remain a moral authority in the modern world, it must speak with clarity and conviction. It must hold its members—especially its public figures—accountable to the truth. It must not honor those who promote what the Church defines as grave moral evils, no matter how laudable their other achievements may be.</p>



<p>This particular controversy exists because the Catholic Church, itself, declares abortion among the most serious of moral transgressions and yet compromises on an issue in which there is no compromisable position. ; To allow people to take comfort in their personal religion while rejecting one of its supposedly strongest moral tenents of that religion, creates moral relativism. ; Inconsistency in opposing abortion essentially puts the Catholic Church in the awkward position of essentially supporting abortions for lack of opposition. ; The faithful deserve better.</p>



<p>So, there ‘tis.</p>

Chicago Bishop Makes Bad Call in Senator Durbin Award
