Pope Leo XIV intervened for the first time in an abortion dispute roiling the U.S. Catholic Church, raising questions about what it really means to be “pro-life.”
Leo, a Chicago native, was asked late Tuesday about plans by Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich to award Illinois Senator Dick Durbin for his work helping immigrants. The plans drew objections from some conservative U.S. bishops because Durbin supports abortion rights.
Leo called for respect on all sides and highlighted what he described as a contradiction in the debates. “Someone who says ‘I’m against abortion but says I am in favor of the death penalty’ is not really pro-life,” Leo said. “Someone who says that ‘I’m against abortion, but I’m in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States,’ I don’t know if that’s pro-life.”
Hours after his comments, Cupich announced that Durbin had declined the award.
Church teaching forbids abortion, yet it also opposes capital punishment. Pope Francis officially declared in 2018 that the death penalty is “inadmissible” under all circumstances. The U.S. bishops and the Vatican have long urged humane treatment of migrants, citing the Biblical command to “welcome the stranger.”
Leo said he wasn’t familiar with all the details of the Durbin dispute but stressed the importance of evaluating the senator’s overall record. In response to a question in English from EWTN News, he noted that there are many ethical issues that form Catholic teaching and urged a respectful, collaborative search for a way forward.
Cupich, a close adviser to Pope Francis, has emphasized upholding church teaching against abortion while arguing against politicizing the debate. Some bishops had proposed denying Communion to Catholic politicians who support abortion rights, a move that drew opposition. President Joe Biden has spoken with Francis about continuing to receive Communion.
Durbin was barred from receiving Communion in his home diocese of Springfield in 2004. Bishop Thomas Paprocki has continued the prohibition and was among bishops who objected to Cupich’s decision to honor Durbin. Cupich noted that Durbin is a member of the Chicago Archdiocese, where Durbin has a home.
In announcing that Durbin would decline the award, Cupich lamented the polarization that has left U.S. Catholics “politically homeless,” arguing that neither major party fully reflects Catholic teaching.
Cupich defended honoring Durbin for his pro-immigration stance and suggested the planned ceremony could have sparked dialogue with other leaders about issues including abortion. “It could be an invitation to Catholics who tirelessly promote the dignity of the unborn, the elderly, and the sick to extend the circle of protection to immigrants facing an existential threat to their lives and the lives of their families,” Cupich wrote.
The dispute coincided with a surge of immigration enforcement in the Chicago area under the Trump administration.
