Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin said Wednesday he was “overwhelmed” by Pope Leo XIV’s comments on his behalf, made this week after the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago’s decision to honor the pro-abortion-rights Democrat for his immigration work sparked a backlash from conservatives.
The pontiff — a Chicago-area native who has voted in elections where Durbin was on the ballot — said “it’s important to look at the overall work that a senator has done” and said a politician should not be judged only on their stance on abortion.
“Someone who says, ‘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,” Leo told reporters Tuesday.
All the same, the Archdiocese announced Tuesday that Durbin had opted to decline the award. The senator explained in a brief interview Wednesday that while it was a “nice gesture,” he did not want to create further headaches for Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich.
“There was a lot of controversy after he made that decision and criticism of him, and I basically told him that I respectfully decline the award,” he said. “I don’t need it, and he doesn’t, either.”
Anti-abortion advocates, including at least 10 U.S. bishops, condemned Cupich for the decision to honor Durbin, who is retiring next year after more than 40 years in Congress, at a Nov. 3 event.
Durbin is well known for his advocacy on behalf of immigrants, including his role as an original co-author of the DREAM Act — legislation that would grant undocumented immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as minors a path to legal status.
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