VATICAN CITY — Cardinal Cupich was scheduled to give Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, a Catholic, a “Lifetime Achievement Award” for his work on immigration issues in early November at the archdiocese’s Office of Human Dignity and Solidarity Immigration Ministry’s “Keep Hope Alive” event.
Asked about some Catholics’ criticism of the Archdiocese of Chicago giving an award to the senator, who has supported pro-choice legislation, Pope Leo XIV said, “I would ask first and foremost that there be greater respect for one another.”
According to OSVNews, at least 10 U.S. bishops publicly criticized the idea because of the senator’s support of legalized abortion.
Not long after the pope made his comments, Cardinal Cupich announced that Durbin had declined the award.
On Sept. 30, the pope was asked by a reporter about the controversy over honoring Durbin.
“I’m not terribly familiar with the particular case,” the pope said before adding, “I think that it is very important to look at the overall work that a senator has done during, if I’m not mistaken, 40 years of service in the United States Senate.”
“I understand the difficulty and the tensions, but I think, as I myself have spoken in the past, it’s important to look at many issues that are related to what is the teaching of the church,” he said, responding in English.
“Someone who says I am against abortion but says I am in favor of the death penalty is not really pro-life,” the pope said. “Someone who says that I am against abortion, but I am in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants who are in the United States, I don’t know if that’s pro-life.”
“They are very complex issues,” Pope Leo said, and “I don’t know if anyone has all the truth on them.”
“But I would ask first and foremost that there be greater respect for one another and that we search together both as human beings — in that case as American citizens or citizens of the state of Illinois — as well as Catholics, to say we really need to really look closely at all of these ethical issues and to find the way forward as a church,” the pope said.
“Church teaching on each one of those issues is very clear,” he said.
On Sept. 30, Cardinal Cupich released a statement responding to the controversy.
“As I look back on my 50 years as a priest and 27 years as a bishop, I have seen the divisions within the Catholic community dangerously deepen. These divisions harm the unity of the church and undermine our witness to the Gospel. Bishops cannot simply ignore this situation because we have a duty to promote unity and assist all Catholics to embrace the teachings of the church as a consistent whole.”
Catholics in the United States are “politically homeless” since neither political party fully stands for Catholic teaching, he said, adding that polls show Catholics are at an impasse on the issues themselves.
“The controversy of these past days points to the depth and danger of such an impasse. Some would say that the Church should never honor a political leader if he pursues policies diametrically opposed to critical elements of Catholic social teaching. But the tragic reality in our nation 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 wrote.
Condemning people who disagree with us stops dialogue and that hinders the church’s efforts to promote life at every stage, he said. Through the Keep Hope Alive event, the cardinal had hoped to show those who defend migrants on the border why the church also defends the unborn and those facing death.
“It is also important to clearly state that it would be wrong to interpret the decisions regarding the Keep Hope Alive event as a softening of our position on abortion,” Cardinal Cupich said. “Likewise, there should be no question about our duty to advocate for laws protecting human life as well as for the church’s right to the free exercise of religion.”
Cardinal Cupich also proposed a way forward.
“I believe it would be worthwhile to schedule some synodal gatherings for members of the faithful to experience listening to each other with respect on these issues, all the while remaining open to maturing more fully in their common identity as Catholics.”
To read Cardinal Cupich’s full statement, visit archchicago.org/statements.