"US Sen. Dick Durbin will not accept a Catholic award recognizing his immigration work, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago said Tuesday (Sept. 30)."
ttps://www.ncronline.org/news/sen-durbin-declines-catholic-award-amid-dispute-over-stance-abortion-rights
I was not very familiar with Senator Durbin, other than recognizing his name, and so was surprised at the controversy over him receiving this award for longtime service and contribution to immigration reform.
I felt that it was a classy action on his part to withdraw from receiving the award; sparing the archdiocese and Cardinal Cupich from some ugly infighting in the bishops' conference. I was not surprised, however, at the 10 or so names who objected to the award being given to Durbin.
From the article:
"The announcement follows objections from some bishops over Durbin's support for abortion rights, even as Pope Leo XIV on Sept. 30 called in question the stance against the senator."
"Durbin, Illinois' senior senator and the Senate's No. 2 Democrat, had been scheduled to receive a lifetime achievement award at the Archdiocese of Chicago's Nov. 3 "Keep Hope Alive" celebration. The event supports the archdiocese's immigration ministry and National Pastoral Migratoria, an immigrant leadership ministry that started in Chicago in 2008."
"While I am saddened by this news, I respect his decision," Cupich said in a statement. "But I want to make clear that the decision to present him an award was specifically in recognition of his singular contribution to immigration reform and his unwavering support of immigrants, which is so needed in our day."
"The cardinal used the announcement to issue a broader warning about divisions within American Catholic life. "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," he said."
"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," Cupich said."
"Durbin's rejection of the award came on the same day Leo had been asked about it while leaving his residence at Castel Gandolfo. The pope said he was "not terribly familiar with the particular case," but added that Catholics must consider the whole record of a politician's service."
"I understand the difficulty and the tensions," the pope told a reporter, "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 also noted contradictions in political identities on life issues, saying: "Someone who says, 'I'm against abortion but I'm in favor of the death penalty,' is not really pro-life. Someone who says, 'I'm against abortion, but I'm in favor of the inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States,' I don't know if that's pro life.""
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At first I was mildly pleased with what Pope Leo said.
ReplyDeleteThen I thought to myself, "The vicar of Christ ought to speak out unequivocally, like Jesus himself."
And then I thought, "Actually, that's the last thing I want the pope to do!"
It seems possible to me that the pope is invested with so much authority that he can't make moral statements using what Kathleen Caveny in our days back on the Commonweal blog used to call "prophetic speech." If that makes any sense.
It doesn't appear in this article, but Pope Leo is also quoted as asking the parties "...first and foremost, to respect one another."
DeleteMutual respect seems to be missing a lot.
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DeleteIn somewhat related news, the Sumud Flotilla bringing food and medical supplies to Gaza was boarded by the Israelis and the volunteers kidnapped. The citizens of Israel can sleep tight knowing that children will still be starving tonight. And maybe they can repurpose the flotilla supplies to a better cause, baiting the starving Palestinians into killing zones and concentration camps.
ReplyDeleteThe Italian dockworkers threatened to strike if the flotilla was intercepted. Columbia has expelled the Israeli diplomats and their President even called for military action against Israel. Over the years, I have gone from believing Israel was what it said it was to believing the world would be a better place without it, that the European settlers should go back where they came from. The US seems to be collapsing. That’s probably what it will take to finish off that cruel political entity that has the temerity to call itself “Israel”. That thing has no more legitimacy than Nazi Germany did or apartheid South Africa. This has also finished off my faith in my own country which has supported this horror with great gusto.
Strikes me as probably illegal to arrest non-combatants in international waters, but, then Our Head Cheese is blowing people in open boats to smithereens in the high seas saying they're drug runners.
DeleteSarah Wilson ("Surviving the Polycrisis") says 70 percent of the world now lives under authoritarianism. She's admittedly bipolar and certainly a fruitcake by my uptight Midwest standards. But she's startin' to make sense about a lot of stuff ...
Israel’s piracy is definitely illegal. They’ll probably be tougher to Greta Thunberg this time. Zionist orcs on social media are rejoicing in her detention and calling for all kinds of orc-type treatment for her. The US and Israel constitute a genuine axis-of-evil. It will attract other evildoing countries to its team. No doubt, bad boy countries like China and Russia won’t be joining OUR axis-of-evil but what is the difference now between them and us?
DeleteTwo separate issues here:
ReplyDelete1. Most American Catholic Church clergy will never understand that there is a difference between a) endorsing abortion as a solution for an unwanted, difficult, or dangerous pregnancy and b) refusing to pass legislation that criminalizes people who have or perform abortions.
2. Bishops and other clergy should not be giving politicians or political appointees awards for any reason while in office or to cap a political career.
I'm sure there are tons of dedicated non-political volunteers who work with immigrants in Illinois whom Cupich can honor if he wants to highlight that issue.
I agree with both points. I think Durbin declining the award was the right thing to do, and maybe they shouldn't be granting any awards right now. Too much work to be done.
DeleteAgree with Jean, especially with point #1. Legislators are obligated to represent all of their constituents not only Catholics. Biden is a far better Christian than trump and a better Catholic Christian than Vance. Trump pretends to be a Christian to keep his amazingly dumb white evangelicals and Catholics in his base happy. Vance needs more “formation”.
DeleteRecognizing the contributions of volunteers would be a much better course.
Today is Yom Kippur. Our schools are closed. There was a vehicle attack at a synogogue in Manchester UK that killed two. Thank God the fanatics in Europe can’t easily get hold of assault weapons.
DeleteYah, that Grand Blanc shoot-up/conflagration at the Mormon church was about 30 miles from my house. You see these meth heads in MAGA hats, camo, and giant flags in their truck beds driving around these parts all the time. Perp had a wife and small child with chronic illness at home. So far Mormons have donated $200,000 for them. Hopefully they can use it to change their last name, pay medical bills, and get therapy they'll need for the nextn10 years.
DeleteSince we are homebound, I read much more stuff than the average person. So far I've seen no mention in American media that the shooter who attacked the Mormons had a giant Trump poster on the side of an outbuilding on his property. They were quick to assume a lib transgender loving shooter in the Kirk case, but have stayed very quiet when it appears the guy is as trumper. They have said that the motice is unclear but some of his friends said he hated Mormons because a Mormon girl had dumped him years ago. He iwas married and had a 10 year old son so it seems he recovered from that broken heart quite a long time ago. The Mormons are behaving in a very Christian manner. Many Evangelicals lump the Mormons with the Catholics as not being christian. I didn't realize how close that it is to you. My knowledge of mid-west locations if fuzzy.
DeleteThe local and state outlets are trying to be circumspect. Shooter's friends and family are blaming it all on his "mental health problems that got away from him." Parents at soccer games said he creeped people out, belittling his kid loudly from the sidelines and putting him in soccer sox with pretend bullet holes and blood drawn on. He was a meth addict, and it juiced up his energy and rage. Guy was always gonna kill somebody.
Delete"So far I've seen no mention in American media that the shooter who attacked the Mormons had a giant Trump poster on the side of an outbuilding on his property. They were quick to assume a lib transgender loving shooter in the Kirk case, but have stayed very quiet when it appears the guy is as trumper. "
DeleteAs soon as I saw the photo of the guy's pickup with the American flags, I figured he was probably MAGA or MAGA-adjacent in some way. But his killing spree, as awful as it is, doesn't fit easily into a culture-war narrative. Hating and killing Mormons isn't really a MAGA (nor a "woke") thing.
The information we've been given so far about Charlie Kirk's killer is a better "fit" for a political motive. Kirk himself was a prominent and divisive political figure; and the authorities have released information that the alleged shooter had become "political" in recent months.
Still, it also seems he spent a lot of time in gamer forums, and those messages on the bullet casings seemed aimed at a gamer audience. He may have been two parts crazy and one part politically radicalized. And more information about an alleged motive may emerge during his trial.
Here's the story about the shooter from local news outlet. More meth than MAGA, if you ask me, but draw your own conclusions. Not sure anybody can make any sense out of a middle-aged hop head who has nursed a seething hatred of Mormons for years.
Deletehttps://www.mlive.com/news/2025/09/he-was-the-class-clown-in-high-school-now-hes-accused-of-killing-4-people-at-a-mormon-church.html
All this crazy energy going to waste. Trump wants to turn this crazy energy against the left. The whole country is nuts and Trump loves pandemonium. The whole thing started in the 1980’s with the shock jocks and the right wing radio. The whole movement was about people indulging their nasty impulses, bigotry, tribal pleasures. Also “greed is good”. The seven sins became good. Self control became prissy and boring. So here we are. Chris Hedges has seen this before at close hand. First the words. And people say it’s not serious. Then the genocide begins.
DeleteI agree that the Mormon shooting was probably not a political shooting. Most Mormons support trump and apparently he was a trumper. But that doesn’t stop MAGA who try to pin everything on the liberals. I have seen many, many comments, memes, and even articles that have taken up the charge that most political violence is from the left. There are multiple, reputable studies that show that about 75% is from the right- wing.The study at the DOJ website with similar numbers was removed a day or two after the Kirk shooting.
DeleteIt’s a tragedy that the flags on the guys pickup were an obvious sign that he was MAGA. It’s gotten so bad that we no longer fly our flag because it has become a symbol of the hatred pushed by this administration and the MAGA movement. A tragic subversion of the meaning of the flag.
Re: flying the American flag: when we bought this house in the early '90s, it had a bracket on the front of the house for a flagpole. We bought a flag and flew it on the 2-3 holidays per year that seem to call for flag-flying. Then, several years later, we had the house resided. The siding guys took down the bracket. Every spring since then, whenever Memorial Day rolls around, I say to myself, "I really ought to get a new bracket ." Then I promptly forget the thought until the next holiday.
DeleteFinally, last year, I bought a new bracket. When I went to install it, the instructions said, in big, bold letters, "DO NOT DRILL HOLES IN SIDING". So now I'm stumped, and we still don't have a way of displaying our flag.
Our bracket is fixed to the wood trim around the garage door. We fly it from Memorial Day to Veterans Day. Raber is proud of his Navy service, and so am I. I am also proud of ancestors who fought in the Revolution and Civil War. I'm not going to participate in turning our flag into a symbol for one political party.
DeleteI have the utmost respect for those like Raber who served the country. I’m not personally into ancestor worship - whatever they did, good or bad, has nothing to do with me. Nothing remarkable. Irish farmers impoverished by the English who fled to America. My German grandfather who fled Bismarck’s wars and married a woman whose parents left Prussia for America at some point. I know nothing about them. They weren’t here to fight in the Revolution! My husband’s mother was very proud of her ancestors though, because of her roots going back to England, and their move to the Massachusetts Bay Colony - Puritans- and ancestors who fought in wars, including on both sides of the War Between the States. My husband really doesn’t care about his ancestry. We used to fly the flag every day. After a while, with a worn out flag, we did just on holidays with a new flag.
DeleteBut I am no longer proud of my country. During our many trips overseas I was never ashamed to be American, even when encountering anti- American hostility during the Viet Nam era. Not until our first trip after 2016. We didn’t encounter hostility because we were Americans, but once they felt comfortable with us, found ourselves trying to explain both Trump and the American gun culture that caused disbelief as well as a new distrust in America as an ally. I used to tear up overseas at seeing an American flag or hearing the Star Bangled Banner but no more. I am proud of what America once stood for, but not for what it stands for now. We will not fly our flag again until - unless- MAGA is defeated. Many anti- trump folk are trying to reclaim the flag, God bless them. I hope they succeed, but I especially hope that we can reclaim our country someday so that the flag symbolizes the America that once was.
Sorry it comes off as "ancestor worship." I know you took me to task for using "fallen away." I feel I'm pissing you off somehow. If so, I'm sorry.
DeleteI’m done with the flag worship. I’m no flag burner but it just means nothing to me now. I’m not even sure it’s because this country lost its way. I really wonder whether it was ever really anywhere close to what it claimed to be. A while back, I thought the US might eventually become what it said it was but I was gravely mistaken.
DeleteThat’s so sad. The son is probably going spend a lot of his life dealing with emotional trauma from his dad’s crimes against the Mormons and against his own son. When our niece and her husband were killed by the young neo- Nazi white Supremacist one of the news outlets reported that someone who had worked with the shooter at a
ReplyDeletepizza place had told the reporter that he wasn’t surprised. Same comment - he was so full of hate that he was going to kill someone someday.
Hello - I had been planning, for some days, to do a post of my own on the Cardinal Cupich / Senator Durbin controversy. This was before Pope Leo(!) weighed in on it and it became a national story. But as Katherine beat me to the punch :-), here is a brief synopsis from my point of view:
ReplyDeleteI first learned of the planned award on 9/20, when I received an email from the Respect Life group from a neighboring parish - the same parish that hosts the local suburban Pro Life march about which I've posted a couple of times here over the years. The email didn't originate with the parish group; it was forwarded from a different organization called Illinois Right To Life, which to the best of my knowledge is not affiliated with the Catholic Church. The email's subject was, "Action Needed: Chicago Archdiocese Office of Human Dignity is Presenting Dick Durbin with an Award". There was nothing in the email explaining that the award was for Senator Durbin's track record on immigration; given the context (i.e. Illinois Right To Life), my interpretation was that this was some sort of a pro-life award. The email urged everyone to call the archdiocees's Office of Human Dignity and leave a voicemail objecting to the award.
I admit I was a little upset that Cardinal Cupich would confer a pro-life award (as I mistakenly thought it to be) on Durbin. Durbin is a long-time senator, and as the Senate Minority Whip is the second-ranking Democratic senator. But he is notorious among pro-life advocates. His rating from the Planned Parenthood Action Fund is 100%. He is a staunchly pro-choice Catholic. Cardinal Cupich usually is supportive of (responsible) pro-life advocacy, and I couldn't figure out what he was trying to accomplish.
Then, in the last 3-4 days, I learned I was mistaken - and perhaps had been misled: the award was not a pro-life award at all. Nevertheless, the same Respect Life sent me an email on 9/30 declaring "VICTORY". It was another forwarded email that had originated with Illinois Right to Life. The email stated, "Make no mistake: this is a victory for our movement." Again, the word "immigration" did not appear anywhere in the communique.
The next day (yesterday), our archdiocesan diaconate office sent out a message from Cardinal Cupich to all the deacons. It's available here at the Chicago Archdiocese website: https://www.archchicago.org/statement/-/article/2025/09/30/statement-of-cardinal-blase-j-cupich-archbishop-of-chicago-on-the-keep-hope-alive-awardstatement-of-cardinal-blase-j-cupich-archbishop-of-chicago-on-t
Cupich's statement is excellent. He deplores the divisions among Catholics; notes that, if we take our church's social teachings seriously, we are politically homeless; and proposes some synodal gatherings, perhaps in cooperation with local Catholic universities, that could serve as listening sessions.
This suggestion for synodal gatherings is very much in line with Pope Francis's program of synodality - and utterly out of step with today's politics. That is not a criticism of synodality! On the contrary: it's music to my ears. But for Catholics who are immersed in the Zeitgeist, I fear listening sessions could be a hard sell. Still, it's worth the attempt.
So I've come out of this situation more united than ever with Cardinal Cupich (not that he knows who I am :-)), and more than a little disgruntled with that parish's Respect Life ministry. I'm seriously rethinking my participation in this month's pro-life march. There have been years when I have been the only member of the clergy who shows up. I'm pondering what to do.
Interesting perspective.
DeleteYou didn't ask for my opinion, but seems to me that if you agree with whatever the pro-life march's aims are, you should go.
If you think that the Respect Life people have misled people about Durbin's award, you should write and tell them.
Not mutually exclusive.
I throw away every flyer that comes in the mail about abortion because it's all just bad noise. I support the local baby pantry as I am able. That's it.
Jean, thanks - that's pretty good advice.
Delete"Whatever the pro-life march's aims are" is a good question. As I've mentioned a few times, I think the whole movement is adrift in this post-Dobbs world. Once Roe v Wade was overturned, they lost their focus. There was a period (which may now be drawing to a close) in which there were state-level fights over post-Dobbs state-level abortion rights. But not in Illinois.
There is an accusation floating around that the federal government is shut down now, simply so Democratic leaders can show that they're willing to stand up and fight against Trump. I can understand why Democrats may see such a show of force as necessary, but is that political performative theater worth the cost of shutting down huge sectors of the federal government?
I mention this because I am sensing that is what the pro-life movement has degenerated into: marching for reasons of fighting the political enemy or the culture war, i.e. performing their opposition to "the other side" rather than to pursue specific policy outcomes. Durbin (and possibly Cupich!) are viewed as liberal and therefore the enemy who must be opposed. But if opposing Durbin's award is pursuant to some specific pro-choice legislation he is sponsoring, I haven't seen that articulated. I think the whole exercise is just sort of a "Ugh - Durbin bad" gesture.
Btw, I received news alerts yesterday that the FDA, led by President Trump's staunchly pro-choice (and massively unqualified) Secretary of HHS, has just approved a generic abortion pill. Not a single email from that parish Respect Life group has hit my inbox urging me to call or write anyone to protest.
It's generic mifepristone, which is not, strictly speaking, an "abortion pill." Some of us who have had miscarriages have been prescribed it to avoid a D&C.
DeleteIf pro-lifers want to restrict use of mifepristone, fine, but banning it will consign many women to unnecessary surgeries.
The FDA can only derail approval of generic versions of legal drugs if there is something wrong with the manufacturing process.
Kennedy is indeed a disaster as a person and as HHS head.
Jim, of course it’s up to you, but surely you realize that the “ pro- life” movement has been an arm of right wing politics for many years now. It’s very likely that their communications to you were deliberately written in a way to mislead.
DeleteI was pleased that Leo pointed out that the treatment of immigrants and refugees is not pro- life. He also pointed out that supporting capital punishment is not pro- life. Yet some big Catholic award went to William Barr shortly after he and trump went on their killing spree of death row prisoners at the end of the first term. Trump has never been anti- abortion much less honestly pro- life. He realized though that he could manipulate the movement to join his political party (MAGA). He gave up even pretending once voters in red states who had their option to vote on it, voted to retain legal abortion. So of course he’s no longer directing his minions to stop the availability of the abortion pill. He knows that the majority of Americans want legal abortion to be an option somehow, including by mail order pills.
Some women have died in the last couple of years because doctors in ERs were afraid to treat if they came in with heavy bleeding because of a spontaneous abortion - which happened to me. I’m glad my Catholic OB met me at the hospital, and did what was needed. He did first determine that there was no heartbeat - I was almost through the first trimester- 11 weeks and heartbeat ps are real then. . Apparently now some docs fear treatment even if there is no heartbeat. The electrical sounds picked up at 8 weeks aren’t true heartbeats, because the heart hasn’t been fully formed yet. But the anti- abortion crowd mislead folks by claiming that these sounds during the development of the heart are actually heartbeats. I had another miscarriage but much, much earlier in the pregnancy. I hadn’t even gone to the first appointment with my OB then. I didn’t hemorrhage with that one.
So in my definitely biased opinion I would say that the accusations that the “ pro- life” movement is misnamed are true, This movement should simply be called “pro- birth” (with zero concern for moms or babies after birth) or “anti- abortion “ to reflect the reality. They ignore millions of lives at risk from trump policies. The cut off of humanitarian aid has already caused many deaths and will eventually result in millions more deaths..
Perhaps Cupich is the one to revive the Seamless Garment movement.
At some point too there should be an acknowledgment that being “pro- choice” is NOT the same as being “pro- abortion“ but is a recognition that 81% of Americans are not Catholic , and that the majority of people don’t accept the Catholic Theology that a blueberry ( or smaller ) sized embryo lacking most organ systems required for human beings, at 8 weeks development or earlier (8 weeks - 85% of abortions occurred in the first 8 weeks even before Roe was overturned). Before 12-15 weeks most Americans favor legal abortion because they look at embryos and early fetuses as only potential human beings. Just as an acorn is a potential oak tree but not an oak tree - yet. Pro- choice politicians like Durbin and Biden must represent ALL , not just those who have their own religious convictions. I admire Durbin for deciding to not cause any other culture war flame up.
https://www.stanns.org/
My take on one-issue voting/politics is that it is only pro-life if you close one eye and squint the other so hard that you only see one thing. Peripheral vision matters. As we walk through life we have to take into account the totality of what is happening around us.
Delete