Pope Leo XIV had no problem with Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin receiving a lifetime achievement award from the church. Some Catholic priests did.
Senator Dick Durbin says he doesn’t seek reelection
Durbin, a key figure in the Democratic Caucus, made his mark in Congress, particularly supporting Barack Obama in the early days of the historic 2008 presidential election.
Scripps News
- Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin was scheduled to win the award from the Archdiocese of Chicago on November 3rd.
- Some Catholic priests opposed the award because Durbin supports legal abortion.
- Pope Leo XIV said it would be okay to give him a prize for his “overall work” and service on behalf of immigrants.
SPRINGFIELD, Illinois – Sen. Dick Durbin declined the Lifetime Achievement Award given to him in November by Chicago’s Roman Catholic Archdiocese.
The award was intended to acknowledge his support for American immigrants, but some in the church said Durbin, who supports abortion rights, was not worthy of the church’s praise.
The backlash against the award came, among other things, from Springfield Bishop Thomas John Paprocki, who wrote last week that Durbin was “not worthy of receiving the proposed award or Catholic honor.” News about Durbin’s decision to decline recognition was posted on the Archdiocese website.
One person who seemed untroubled by Durbin’s award winning was Pope Leo XIV. The Pope was asked on September 30th before Durbin rejected the award if he deserved it, saying:
“If the senator is not wrong, I think it’s important to see the overall work that the senator has done during his 40 years in the US Senate. I understand the difficulties and tensions. But as I have spoken in the past, I think it’s important to see a lot of issues related to church teaching.”
Durbin, who had been in the Senate since 1997, announced in April that he would not seek reelection.
Cardinal Brands Küchtch, who leads the Archdiocese, said in a statement that the award for Durbin was “particularly recognised his singular contribution to immigration reform and his unwavering support for immigration.”
Many other Catholic bishops across the country gathered around Paprocky’s opposition to Durbin’s honor, including Bishop Carl A. Kenme of Wichita, Kansas, a former priest of Springfield Parish.
Durbin’s “long-standing views and consistent votes promoting abortion will clearly disqualify him for this award,” Kemme said in a September 25th statement.
Paprocki reaffirmed that Durbin was not permitted to receive communion, one of the central sacraments of Catholic faith, until he repented of the voting record in support of abortion.
MSGR, then pastor of Durbin, in the Blessed Sacramental Diocese as early as 2004. Kevin Van, now bishop of Orange, California, said Durbin should not be approached for communion. Paprocki’s predecessor in Springfield, Bishop George Lucas, now Archbishop of Omaha, Nebraska, had banned Durbin.
If Durbin won the award on November 3, when first planned, it would disrupt Catholics.
Durbinhas called for comprehensive immigration reform. He was critical of President Donald Trump’s so-called “Operation Midway Blitz,” the immigrant Roundup taking place in Chicago.
Illinois’ Mary Kate Xander said in a statement on the right to life that Durbin’s decision was a “winner” for the group’s move.
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788; sspearie@sj-r.com; x, twitter.com/@stevenspearie.
