A scandal in Chicago

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois was once a pro-life Democrat. But after his first few years in Congress, he migrated to the pro-abortion side, and he has been firmly planted there for four decades. Despite that disheartening and disqualifying fact, the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago decided to give Durbin a lifetime achievement award from its Office of Human Dignity and Solidarity. Of course, supporting abortion is the antithesis of respecting human dignity, a deep irony to this particular embarrassment. Durbin has now declined the award after widespread outcry.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the national body of America’s Catholic hierarchy, adopted a policy in 2004 barring just such awards: “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.” The bold, by the way, is in the original.

If anyone wondered whether the bishops meant what they said, it became crystal clear in 2009 when the University of Notre Dame decided to confer an honorary doctorate on President Barack Obama. Four cardinals and over 70 other bishops publicly condemned the university’s decision. Of relevance here, Chicago’s Cardinal Francis George said, “[I]t is clear that Notre Dame didn’t understand what it means to be Catholic when they issued this invitation.”

Cardinal George was followed by Cardinal Blaise Cupich, dean of the Pope Francis wing of the American hierarchy. All American bishops agree to some extent on Catholic social teaching on public policy, whether abortion, gay marriage, or immigration. But some bishops tend to emphasize the evil of abortion and attacks on religious liberty, while others speak more about embracing the migrant and ensuring social justice. If Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York leads the first camp, Cardinal Cupich personifies the second.

It’s no wonder, then, that Cupich wants to confer an award on a pro-abortion senator despite clear church policy opposing it. When asked to explain, Cupich said in a statement he was acting in accord with Vatican guidance to bishops to “reach out to and engage in dialogue with Catholic politicians within their jurisdictions ... as a means of understanding the nature of their positions and their comprehension of Catholic teaching.” Somehow “dialogue” has turned into a lifetime achievement award.

Unfortunately, Pope Leo XIV, himself a native Illinoisan, added to the confusion in comments during a press availability on Tuesday. The pope recognized Durbin’s four decades of service in the U.S. Senate and equated opposition to abortion to a politician’s stand on the death penalty or immigration, even though those are matters of prudential judgment rather than intrinsic evils.

Thankfully other bishops, starting with Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Ill., have spoken out with courage and conviction in a spirit of fraternal correction to protest the archdiocese’s award. In a stirring essay for First Things, Paprocki writes he was “shocked” to learn of Durbin’s award given the USSCB statement and the Chicago Archdiocese’s own manual barring such honors. In fact, the policy manual says, “Many organizations and presenters that do ‘good work’ in some areas are misguided in others, particularly in the areas of human life and sexuality. ... Even if these individuals or organizations do not address these specific topics of dissent at the facility or event, their appearance is a source of scandal and confusion.” That rationale runs directly contrary to Cupich’s own defense of the Durbin award, which, he explained, “recognize[s] 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 policy manual puts front-and-center the real problem: the scandal and confusion caused to everyday faithful people when they see pro-abortion politicians receiving awards from Catholic institutions. The message it sends is simple: Being pro-abortion is wrong but no big deal. It’s fine, it’s a difference of opinion, it’s a disagreement between friends. If you’re pro-abortion but also pro-illegal immigration, it offsets. You can still be a good Catholic and Christian—heck, even get an award from the church itself—while championing abortion as a politician.

That is, of course, precisely the wrong message to send. Abortion is not just one among many issues. It is the central human rights issue of our times. To be wrong on the murder of the unborn is to be wrong, period. The Catholic Church in the United States has played an admirable role leading the pro-life cause in this country. It is a shame and a scandal to see that witness compromised by this award.