Archbishop of Chicago, Blaise Cardinal Cupich

Cardinal Blaise Cupich of Chicago has announced that the Archdiocese of Chicago (which really means, Cardinal Cupich) will be honoring Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois with its Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual fundraising for their immigration ministry, Keep Hope Alive, in November. Sen. Durbin has announced his retirement from the Senate, so I suppose Cardinal Cupich felt he needed to honor the man, or wanted to. Cardinal Cupich has received considerable criticism for this decision because of Sen. Durbin’s notorious record on abortion, supporting abortion rights as what he calls a “fundamental right.”

Sen. Durbin’s voting record on abortion can be found here. As can be seen, Sen. Durbin voted against a ban that would forbid the use of fetal tissue from aborted babies to be used for research in 1997. Three times, in 1998, 1999, and 2003 Sen. Durbin voted against the Partial Birth/Late Term Abortion bill, which would ban the horrific procedure of partial-birth abortions, where the child is born, except for the head, and the skull is opened to access the brain, and the brain is sucked out. He also voted against the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors bill, which would penalize healthcare workers who refuse to provide care to infants who survive abortions. Sen. Durbin claims he is opposed to abortion. Pretty much every Catholic pro-abortion politician makes this claim. They just don’t live up to it in their actions.

Cardinal Cupich responded to the criticism he has received with a statement, in which he writes:

“At the heart of the consistent ethic of life is the recognition that Catholic teaching on life and dignity cannot be reduced to a single issue, even an issue as important as abortion. 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. 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.”

I have no idea what Sen. Durbin has done for immigrants over his years in the Senate. Perhaps he has been the exception to the rule of politicians who, rather than solving the problem of immigration, wished only to keep the problem alive so they could exploit it politically. Perhaps he has been a true chamption of immigrants, working to find a pathway to legal status, or even citizenship, for those who have been in the country and worked well and contributed to their communities over the years. That would be something I could support, for sure. What I’m willing to be on is this: if Sen. Durbin were a staunch advocate for protecting children in the womb, but also a staunch advocate of President Trump’s immigration policy, both during his first term and now in his second, Cardinal Cupich would NOT be awarding Sen. Durbin with any awards.

Too often, deacons, priests, bishops, and even cardinals regard abortion as an issue that may be compromised. Oh, yes, they give hearty verbal support to the cause for protecting life in the womb. But when it comes down to taking action, there are too many who refuse to act, with the excuse – always with the excuse – that abortion is not the only life issue the Church needs to address. There is also the demand made for pro-life Catholics to get on board and actively support other life issues, such as opposition to capital punishment, human trafficking, opposition to war, and even immigration reform. Somehow, though, the same demand is never made of those who champion these worthwhile causes – that they get on board in actively supporting the pro-life cause.

Cardinal Cupich has been especially eggregious in his willingness to set the abortion issue aside. When 40 Days for Life was a big deal, back in 2015, organizing prayer outside of abortion clinics for 40 consecutive days in cities all across the U. S., then-Bishop Blaise Cupich of Seattle put the word out to the priests of the diocese that they were not to participate in or help organize such protests. Cardinal Cupich is also one of the leading voices in the Church in America to oppose withholding Holy Communion from Catholic politicians who support abortion. Cardinal Cupich received criticism by many pro-life Catholics for agreeing to offer the invocation at the 2024 Democratic National Convention. And now, this: awarding Sen. Dick Durbin with a Lifetime Achievement Award. By the way, Cardinal Cupich’s decision to honor Sen. Durbin is contrary to the U. S. Bishop’s 2004 statement “Catholics in Political Life,” which states: “The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions” [emphasis in original]. Cardinal Cupich has been a bishop since 1998, so he was part of the USCCB when they adopted this policy. Why is he ignoring it?

And, as far as the consistent ethic of life is concerned, how is it that Cardinal Cupich is so eager to honor a man who is inconsistent in his defense of human life? The bottom line is: Cardinal Cupich is wrong in his argument that, “At the heart of the consistent ethic of life is the recognition that Catholic teaching on life and dignity cannot be reduced to a single issue, even an issue as important as abortion.” He is exploiting this line to justify honoring a man who, as I said, is inconsistent with the ethic of life, as well as justify the reduction of abortion as just one life issue among many. It is not. Abortion is the wilfull destruction of innocent human life in the womb. That’s murder. Our immigration policy, even Trump’s, is not murder. To put it plainly: Catholics may disagree on what is the most prudential policy to adopt regarding immigration. But Catholic may not disagree on what is the most prudential policy to adopt on abortion. Abortion, being the destruction of innocent human life, is not an option. Catholics may never support it as an option. Whereas Catholics may support this policy on immigration or that policy and still be well within the parameters of Catholic social teaching, depending on the policy, Catholics may never support a policy regarding abortion that allows for access to and the performing of abortions.

It is moral, then, to adopt a policy on immigration that restricts, or even forbids, immigration, and to adopt a policy on abortion that restricts, or certainly forbids, abortion. It is moral to adopt a policy that provides immigrants with opportunities for legal status, access to healthcare, education, etc. and to adopt a policy on abortion that restricts, or certainly forbids, abortion. It is immoral to adopt a policy that provides immigrants with opportunities for legal status, access to healthcare, education, etc. and adopt a policy that allows for access to and the performing of abortions. One cannot justify the killing of innocent people because you’re such a great advocate for immigrants. This is essentially what Cardinal Cupich is doing. He’s telling Catholics, and the world, that because Sen. Durbin is such a chamption for immigrant’s rights, we’re going to ignore his advocacy for the killing of innocent children in the womb. No. That is not a Catholic option.

Cardinal Cupich ought to know better. Cardinal Cupich ought to do better. He is forever giving cover now for Catholics who desire to justify their support for abortion by insisting that they are advocates for other life issues. This is the opposite of the consistent ethic of life. This is scandal. Shame on him!

Be Christ for all. Bring Christ to all. See Christ in all.