Several bishops are now on record publicly opposing Cardinal Blase Cupich’s decision to honor Sen. Dick Durbin with a lifetime achievement award, after Bishop Carl Kemme of Wichita, Kansas, and Bishop Michael Olson of Fort Worth, Texas added their objections Sept. 25.
Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, has a long record of supporting legalized abortion and consistently voting for its expansion. In his home diocese of Springfield, he has been publicly barred from receiving Holy Communion since 2004. He is slated to receive the lifetime achievement award from the Archdiocese of Chicago Nov. 3, a move critics say undermines the Church’s witness to the sanctity of life.
The first to speak out against Cardinal Cupich’s decision was Bishop Thomas John Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois, Sept. 19, followed by Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, California, and Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, Nebraska.
CatholicVote also reported that Bishop James Wall of Gallup, New Mexico, and Bishop David Ricken of Green Bay, Wisconsin, voiced opposition Sept. 24. Their objections have now been reinforced by Bishops Kemme and Olson.
Bishop Kemme noted that he had once served as a priest in the Diocese of Springfield, and said he stands with Bishop Paprocki in objecting to the presenting Durbin with the award.
“It is my opinion that [Durbin’s] long held views and consistent votes promoting abortion clearly disqualify him for this award by the Archdiocese of Chicago,” Bishop Kemme said. “As a brother bishop, I urge Cardinal Cupich to withdraw this honor, which will ultimately cause scandal and confusion among the faithful.”
Bishop Olson voiced concerns in a series of posts on X.
“At every Mass we ask the Lord Jesus for the gifts of peace and unity in his Church, and at this time of strife and division, Cardinal Cupich could promote peace and unity by withdrawing the invitation to Senator Durbin to receive an award,” Bishop Olson wrote.
At every Mass we ask the Lord Jesus for the gifts of peace and unity in his Church, and at this time of strife and division, Cardinal Cupich could promote peace and unity by withdrawing the invitation to Senator Durbin to receive an award and instead use the event to highlight –
— Bishop Michael Olson (@BpOlsonFW) September 25, 2025
He added that the event should instead highlight “the many ways in which human life and dignity are defended and promoted in the Archdiocese of Chicago and elsewhere.”
Cardinal Cupich has not responded to the controversy since Sept. 22, when he said the award would recognize Durbin’s work in immigration, care for the poor, environmental stewardship, and peacebuilding, and argued that “Catholic teaching on life and dignity cannot be reduced to a single issue, even an issue as important as abortion.”
>> Illinois Right to Life to protest Cardinal Cupich’s decision to award pro-abortion senator <<
This article was last updated at 4:33 PM ET.