CV president urges Cardinal Cupich to reconsider award for abortion donor: The pre-born ‘cry out once again’

CatholicVote President and CEO Kelsey Reinhardt urged Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, to reconsider his plan to honor businessman Michael J. Sacks at an Oct. 29 seminary fundraiser, citing reports that Sacks has given hundreds of thousands of dollars toward efforts to expand access to abortion in Illinois.

“The U.S. bishops have taught that Catholic institutions should not give ‘awards, honors or platforms’ to those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles,” Reinhardt said in a statement to Zeale News. “Yet on Thursday, Cardinal Cupich will present the Archdiocese’s Nostra Aetate Award to Michael J. Sacks, who has been reported as giving $600,000 to expand abortion access in Illinois.”

She added that the cardinal plans to give Sacks the award at a fundraiser for the archdiocese’s seminary in front of “the young men who will one day preach the Gospel of Life.”

“An award is not a photo op; it is a public statement about what the Church admires,” Reinhardt said. 

According to the University of Saint Mary of the Lake’s event announcement, the Archdiocese of Chicago plans to give Sacks the Nostra Aetate Award at the annual Seminary Salutes Rerum Novarum fundraiser, which Cardinal Cupich and university rector Father John Kartje are hosting to raise money for the formation of future priests.

In her statement, Reinhardt also recalled the controversy over Cardinal Cupich’s plan last year to honor Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois despite his strong support for abortion.

“A little over a year ago, Catholics made clear their disappointment that the Archdiocese of Chicago attempted to honor a public supporter of abortion,” she said. “That outcry resulted in rescinding the award.”

“We urge Cardinal Cupich to reconsider this honor,” Reinhardt concluded. “The pre-born babies and the faithful who support them cry out once again.”

Cardinal Cupich announced in September 2025 that Durbin had declined the award following objections from several American bishops and leading Catholic organizations, including CatholicVote. As Zeale News previously reported, Cardinal Cupich used his statement at the time to defend the planned recognition, saying it specifically honored Durbin’s work on immigration reform. 

>> Catholic leaders respond to Durbin’s decision to decline Chicago Archdiocese’s award <<

Cardinal Cupich responds to criticism of Sacks’ planned honor

In an Oct. 26 statement responding to criticism, Cardinal Cupich said the award takes its name from the Second Vatican Council’s Nostra Aetate declaration on the Church’s relationship with non-Christian religions. 

He said the honor is “designed to affirm the value the Church places on interreligious relationships by honoring members of non-Christian communities for their leadership in their own and the wider community” and described Sacks as a “well-respected leader in Chicago and in the Jewish community.”

The archbishop acknowledged that some “have voiced criticism that a Catholic group would honor a person who does not hold to core beliefs of the Catholic Church, primary among them being the divinity of Jesus Christ.” 

Appearing to reference Sacks, Cardinal Cupich argued that honoring “a leader shaped by his Jewish faith, for the gifts he brings to society through his leadership, generosity and talent, acknowledges this shared divine heritage, distinct from specific contemporary political or doctrinal disputes.”

“Simply put, honoring individuals who do not share core Catholic teachings recognizes their dignity, leadership role, and service to their community without implying an endorsement of every statement or stance they maintain,” he added.

Illinois Right to Life calls for withdrawal of award, citing Sacks’ pro-abortion donations, LGBT advocacy

Illinois Right to Life also called on Cardinal Cupich and Father Kartje to withdraw Sacks’ award in a statement, saying Sacks and his family have donated more than $1 million to pro-abortion causes since 2020. 

The organization also highlighted Sacks’ work to help legalize same-sex “marriage” in Illinois and his close relationships with Democrats in the state, including Gov. J.B. Pritzker, whom Sacks helped recruit to run for office. 

“The Archdiocese of Chicago cannot credibly proclaim the sanctity of human life while publicly honoring a man whose wealth has helped support abortion providers and organizations working to expand abortion in Chicago,” Illinois Right to Life President and CEO Mary Kate Zander said.

According to the organization, public foundation grant records show that the Sacks Family Foundation contributed $500,000 to Planned Parenthood of Illinois between 2020 and 2022. The group also cited a September Crain’s Chicago Business report that said Sacks contributed another $600,000 to an abortion initiative benefiting organizations including Planned Parenthood of Illinois and the Chicago Abortion Fund.

Sacks has also publicly supported Personal PAC, an Illinois political organization that works to elect candidates who support abortion, according to Illinois Right to Life.

The pro-life group also reported that in 2013, Sacks worked with then-Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to recruit business leaders to support legislation to legalize same-sex “marriage” in the state. Equality Illinois, a group that supports “transgender” medical interventions for minors, later presented Sacks with its 2015 Business Leadership Award for spearheading support for the legislation. 

Lastly, the group pointed to Sacks’ financial support for Democratic candidates and causes, citing an October investigation by the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ that found Sacks and his wife had spent $9.2 million since the beginning of 2025.

“Michael Sacks helped recruit J.B. Pritzker, whose administration has made abortion and LGBTQ issues defining priorities and whose ambitions to forward those causes at the federal level are apparent,” Zander said. “Now Cardinal Cupich intends to honor Sacks at an event dedicated to forming future Catholic priests. Catholics deserve an explanation for that decision.”