Durbin declines Chicago archdiocesan award
October 01, 2025
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CWN Editor's Note: Senator Richard Durbin has declined to accept a Lifetime Achievement award that he was scheduled to receive from the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Durbin’s withdrawal—which was announced, perhaps significantly, by Cardinal Cupich, rather than the senator’s office—defuses a heated controversy within the US Catholic hierarchy. Ten American bishops had protested the award, and the leadership of the US bishops’ conference was reportedly weighing a public statement.
In his statement announcing Durbin’s withdrawal, Cardinal Cupich stressed that he had intended to honor the lawmaker for “his singular contribution to immigration reform and his unwavering support of immigrants, which is so needed in our day.” He insisted that the honor for Durbin, who has consistently supported unrestricted legal abortion, should not be seen as compromising the Church’s stand on that issue.
The cardinal went on to lament the polarization of American politics, arguing that “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 suggested “some synodal gatherings for members of the faithful to experience listening to each other with respect on these issues.”
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