Frank Pavone: The Cardinal Cupich-Dick Durbin Dilemma, Pro-abortion Senator Should Not be Honored by Catholic Church

Guest Post by Pro-life Leader Frank Pavone, National Director, Priests for Life

In 2022, the journalist Terence Jeffrey wrote about a one-time pro-life political candidate who became an unequivocal abortion advocate during the course of his five decades in Congress.

In 1982, according to Jeffrey, a Springfield, IL, man running for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives sent out a campaign letter that said: “My record of opposition to abortion on demand has been public record for eight years.”

That man, Dick Durbin, won his election that year. He was a pro-life Democrat, a term that wasn’t an oxymoron back then.

In 1989, in a letter to a constituent, then-Rep. Durbin wrote: “I believe we should end abortion on demand, and at every opportunity I have translated this belief into votes in the House of Representatives.”

But by the time he was sworn into the U.S. Senate in 1997, Durbin’s mind became corrupted about abortion and he has never looked back. His votes in that chamber demonstrate that he is among the most extreme abortion advocates in the federal government.

He voted against a bill to protect babies from the brutality of a partial-birth abortion and another to protect them from dismemberment abortion. He voted against advancing a bill to mandate life-saving care for newborns who survive an abortion, saying it “targets and intimidates reproductive healthcare providers.” He even voted against a bill to make it a federal crime to harm an unborn child while committing another crime.

His abortion advocacy is at the center of a controversy currently roiling the Catholic Church. Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich has announced plans to honor Durbin with a lifetime achievement award for another of his causes – immigration – at a November fundraiser.

This is not only outrageous, it is confusing for Catholics, whose Church teaches that human life is sacred from the moment we are conceived until our natural death. To clarify how the American Church should treat lawmakers who claim allegiance to the faith while also advocating for the legal murder of the unborn, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2004 issued a statement called Catholics in Political Life that very clearly stated the following:

“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.”

“They should not be given awards” are words that are not open to interpretation, which surely Cardinal Cupich understands. But instead of backing down, he’s doubling down, telling Catholic News Agency that now lives in the Chicago Archdiocese and he is merely following the advice of the Vatican by engaging with a politician within his jurisdiction to better understand his comprehension of Catholic teaching.

Bestowing a lifetime achievement award to a man who has demonstrated nothing but contempt for the unborn and those us who defend them goes beyond engagement, and Cardinal Cupich knows that, too.

To date, five Catholic bishops have spoken out publicly against the cardinal’s plans. I’ve asked Priests for Life’s supporters to sign a petition at ProLifePetition.com and thousands have responded. More signatures come in by the hour.

American Catholics had every reason to be proud with the election of Pope Leo XIV – a Chicago native! – in May. But what we feel today is a far cry from pride.

Prolife Leader Frank Pavone is the National Director of Priests for Life and President of Prolife Vote.

For more information on the political work of Priests for Life, see our c-4, ProLife Vote.

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