A Roman Catholic cardinal facing criticism over his intention to honor a pro-abortion lawmaker is defending his decision despite warnings that giving the senator a Lifetime Achievement Award would cause “grave scandal.”
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., is slated to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award for his support of immigrants at the upcoming Keep Hope Alive Benefit hosted by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office of Human Dignity and Solidarity Immigration Ministry. The event, scheduled to take place on Nov. 3, will be hosted by Cardinal Blase Cupich.
Bishop Thomas Paprocki of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, Illinois, Durbin’s home diocese, condemned Cupich’s decision to honor Durbin in light of the lawmaker’s pro-abortion voting record.
In a statement to the Catholic publication The Pillar published Friday, Paprocki warned that “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 [Catholic] Church’s unequivocal teaching on the sanctity of human life.”
“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 added.
Paprocki also pointed to Durbin’s reception of the award as being at odds with the Archdiocese of Chicago’s policy stating that “Any Catholic entity subject to the authority of the Archbishop of Chicago, and any boards/fundraising committees affiliated with them shall not give awards or honors or host presentations, speaking opportunities or appearances by individuals or organizations whose public position is in opposition to the fundamental moral principles of the Catholic Church.”
“I urge Cardinal Cupich to reconsider this action for the sake of clarity, unity and fidelity to the gospel of life,” Paprocki said.
Archbishop Salvadore Cordileone of the Archdiocese of San Francisco echoed Paprocki’s concerns in an X post Sunday: “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.”
Cupich released a statement Monday in response to the backlash over the archdiocese’s plans to honor Durbin.
Noting that Durbin has purchased property in Chicago and now considers the archdiocese his home diocese, Cupich contended that his actions are consistent with instructions laid out by the Catholic Church’s Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith urging 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.”
“At the heart of the consistent ethic of life is the recognition that Catholic teaching and life and dignity cannot be reduced to a single issue, even an issue as important as abortion,” Cupich asserted. “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.”
According to Cupich, “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.”
Cupich’s remarks indicate that he has no plans to reconsider giving Durbin the award. Durbin, who has served in the U.S. Senate since 1997 and is retiring at the end of the 119th Congress next year, has a score of 0% on the National Right to Life Congressional Scorecard for the 118th Congress, which demonstrates a pro-abortion voting record.
Durbin has been prohibited from receiving communion in the Diocese of Springfield since 2004. The Roman Catholic Church’s Code of Canon Law states that those “persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to holy communion.”
In a 2004 letter to church leaders, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who would later become Pope Benedict XVI, wrote “when a person’s formal cooperation becomes manifest (understood, in the case of a Catholic politician, as his consistently campaigning and voting for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws,) his Pastor should meet with him, instructing him about the Church’s teaching, informing him that he is not to present himself for Holy Communion until he brings to an end the objective situation of sin, and warning him that he will otherwise be denied the Eucharist.”
“When ‘these precautionary measures have not had their effect …,’ and the person in question, with obstinate persistence, still presents himself to receive the Holy Eucharist, ‘the minister of Holy Communion must refuse to distribute it,’” Ratzinger added.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
