Overview

• Responding to queries about a planned Chicago Archdiocese award for Sen. Dick Durbin, Pope Leo XIV said politicians who oppose abortion but back the death penalty or inhumane treatment of immigrants are not genuinely pro‑life.
• White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt rejected the premise, saying she would not accept that immigrants are treated inhumanely in the United States under the current administration.
• Conservative Catholic leaders and right‑wing influencers criticized the pope’s comments as confusing and alienating to conservatives, echoing prior objections to honoring Durbin.
• Durbin declined the lifetime achievement award after the uproar, as the episode intensified tensions within the U.S. church over how to define and prioritize pro‑life commitments.
• Analysts said Leo’s stance reflects a consistent‑life ethic in Catholic teaching that links abortion, the death penalty and migrants’ treatment, signaling continuity with Francis‑era social teaching.