Overview

• Cardinal Blase Cupich said Sen. Dick Durbin turned down a planned Lifetime Achievement Award set for Nov. 3 at the Archdiocese’s Keep Hope Alive event.
• Cupich emphasized the honor was intended to acknowledge Durbin’s work on immigration reform and support for immigrants, not any change in church teaching on abortion.
• Bishops publicly criticized the plan, with Springfield’s Bishop Thomas Paprocki noting Durbin has been barred from Communion in his diocese since 2004 over his pro‑abortion‑rights record.
• Conservative group CatholicVote amassed more than 38,000 petition signatures, planned a protest with Illinois Right to Life, and celebrated Durbin’s decision to decline.
• Pope Leo XIV told reporters it was important to consider the senator’s overall record, while Cupich called for respectful listening sessions to address divisions highlighted by the dispute.