- Gretchen R. Crowe (OSV News)
The Archdiocese of Chicago's Office of Human Dignity and Solidarity Immigration Ministry and Cardinal Blase J. Cupich plan to present Senator Dick Durbin, a Catholic, with a "Lifetime Achievement Award" for his work on immigration issues in November. This despite the senator's longstanding public stance on abortion. Bishop Thomas J. Paprocji of Springfield, Illinois, in whose diocese Durbin officially resides, has issued a fraternal correction to Cardinal Cupich, asking the archdiocese to change its plans.
"Because this decision threatens to scandalize the faithful and damage the bonds of ecclesial communion, it must be reversed," Bishop Paprocki wrote Sept. 23 in First Things.
In an interview with OSV News on Sept. 24, Bishop Paprocki asserted that, regardless of Senator Durbin's record on other issues, his public stance in favor of policies protecting legal abortion disqualifies him from receiving any award, according to the policies of both the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Archdiocese of Chicago. He argued that the award is not consistent with Church doctrine on life issues and that defending the truth does not imply breaking unity within the Church.
Below is the full interview, edited for clarity and length.
OSV News: Earlier this week, you issued a formal fraternal correction to Cardinal Cupich for the decision to give Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois a 'Lifetime Achievement Award'. What do you think is the best outcome at this point?
- Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki: I think the best outcome at this point would be for Cardinal Cupich and the Archdiocese of Chicago to rescind their lifetime achievement award to Senator Durbin.
I think it's clear that he has maintained a very strong and consistent abortion policy as a U.S. senator. And despite his other good actions, we are talking about a consistent life ethic.
That was a big problem with Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, Archbishop of Chicago in the 1990s, when I was his chancellor. It seems to Senator Durbin, who has been in this position for several years, that all his other good deeds outweigh his being an abortionist politician, and it just doesn't work that way. It would be like saying someone is a good Catholic because he follows nine of the Ten Commandments, "The fifth commandment, 'thou shalt not kill,' we don't follow, but the other nine, I follow perfectly." Therefore, it is very incoherent to say that we are going to give a lifetime achievement award to someone who promotes the murder of fetuses.
OSV News: Cardinal Cupich referred to the "coherent ethics of life" in his statement, coined, as you mentioned, by Cardinal Bernardin. Could you explain what you meant by that concept?
- Bishop Paprocki: Cardinal Bernardin himself was very forceful about it. He was asked about it many times. This was when he was promoting the consistent ethic of life in the 1980s. Even then there were politicians and others who used this ethic to say, well, like Senator Durbin, that as long as I adhere to Catholic doctrine on most issues, there's no problem, and that abortion is not that important.
There's a very telling quote from Cardinal Bernardin - he was interviewed in the National Catholic Register in 1988 - and I have this quote that I like to use often, because I think it's his. He said, "I know that some people on the left, if I may use that label, have used consistent ethics to give the impression that the abortion issue is no longer so important. That they should be against abortion in general, but that there are more important issues, so don't hold anybody accountable just for abortion. That's a consistent misuse of ethics, and I deplore it." That's a very telling quote, and I think it's very applicable to what's happening here with Senator Durbin.
OSV News: With fraternal correction, do you think any response you might get will be made public, since your fraternal correction was public?
- Bishop Paprocki: I think Cardinal Cupich has already stated publicly that he plans to go ahead with the tribute to Senator Durbin. So, if he were to revoke it, I think it would be very public. But for now, it doesn't look like he's going to do that. In fact, he issued his statement on Monday after I pointed these things out to him. So, basically, it's pretty clear that he's redoubling his efforts and tends to go ahead with giving this award.
OSV News: It doesn't seem ideal for bishops to disagree in the media. It is certainly not ideal for the unity of the Church. What is it about this issue that you have decided to step forward in this way?
- Bishop Paprocki: The reason I decided to take this step was in response to something that Cardinal Cupich and the Archdiocese of Chicago are doing. I didn't start this. They are doing something that contradicts the statement of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on "Catholics in Political Life." A statement that we, as bishops of the United States, issued in 2004.
The text states very clearly: "The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act contrary to our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms that suggest support for their actions." That much is quite clear. And, in fact, the Archdiocese of Chicago has a policy of its own very similar to that of not granting honors or speaking opportunities to people whose public stance opposes the fundamental moral principles of the Catholic Church.
Therefore, when a situation like this arises, or when someone fails to comply with that policy, I don't think it breaks unity to point it out and ask that our policies and the teachings of the Catholic Church be complied with.
In fact, I think we have to tell the truth, and Pope Leo recently gave a talk in which he said that telling the truth does not harm unity, that we must tell the truth. And I think that's what we are doing here.
Because otherwise, what's the point of having these policies? We spend a lot of time discussing them, we adopt them, and then when someone breaks them, is there any consequence, at least a public statement, that says this is a breach of our bishops' conference policies?
Other bishops have already weighed in. I saw that Archbishop Cordileone of San Francisco issued a statement, as did Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, Nebraska. I am grateful for their support and anticipate that other bishops will also make their views known.
OSV News: Is it normal for a bishop to ignore USCCB and his own diocese's guidelines and policies on these matters?
- Bishop Paprocki: I don't think so. I mean, I'm not aware of such a public, high-profile recognition of such a prominent U.S. senator. I haven't seen anything like it. There's the issue of receiving Holy Communion. That's another issue. And, as you know, I know that Archbishop Cordileone of San Francisco similarly told Nancy Pelosi that she should not receive Holy Communion either. So there are other cases like this where bishops have applied canon law. Which basically says that when someone obstinately persists in promoting manifest grave sin, they should not receive Holy Communion.
OSV News: In his Sept. 22 statement, Cardinal Cupich justified his actions in part, saying it was a way to remain faithful to the May 2021 CDF instruction. How would you respond to that?
- Bishop Paprocki: Well, you know, the instruction is to dialogue with politicians, and that's fine. I do that. I've dialogued with Senator Durbin. But when a bishop tries to do that and the politician ignores him, then you have to take action. And this is something that precedes me here in the diocese.
This dates back to 2004, when the pastor of his parish, Blessed Sacrament Parish in Springfield, was Monsignor Kevin Vann. He is now Bishop Kevin Vann, bishop of Orange, California. At that time, he told Senator Durbin that he should not take communion, and that was confirmed by my predecessor, Bishop George Lucas, who is now Archbishop Emeritus of Omaha.
And that is what has been observed here. Senator Durbin told me personally that he doesn't take communion in our diocese. Well, apparently he takes communion in a church in Chicago. He has an apartment in Chicago, but he still has his home here in Springfield. I would say that, as far as that goes, I'm still his bishop. It's very interesting that Cardinal Cupich was asked about this in 2018.
And on the subject of Senator Durbin not being able to receive Holy Communion, in an article that appeared in the State Journal Register, the Springfield newspaper, Cardinal Cupich had this to say.
"I leave it to each bishop, who has an obligation to dialogue with his elected officials on this issue as it relates to his own practice of the Catholic faith, to decide on this." I was not involved in the conversation between the bishop and Senator Durbin on this issue, so I cannot comment on it, but I respect any bishop who needs to take action within his own diocese, and I also believe that conversation should remain between the two of them."
Well, these two, as Cardinal Cupich himself said, would be Senator Durbin and myself, Bishop Paprocki. And, so, at this point, that hasn't changed. He continues to have his home here, what in canon law is called domicile. He has his domicile here in this diocese. And, in that sense, I find myself in a position where I think I have to say something. It's not just a question of whether I should say something. I believe I have an obligation to do so.
OSV News: And your domicile is in the Diocese of Springfield?
- Bishop Paprocki: He still uses it as his official registration. His voting record indicates that he votes from here, and even if you visit Senator Durbin's official website, it shows that he resides in Springfield. So it's pretty clear.
OSV News: Is there a way for a diocese to reward or honor a politician for his work in one particular area, even if he publicly disagrees with the Church in another? Would there perhaps have been a more appropriate way for the Archdiocese of Chicago to recognize Senator Durbin's work on immigration? Or is there no avenue for that at all?
- Bishop Paprocki: Well, I guess you could argue in that regard that if you were very limited and just said we want to recognize all that you've done to help immigrants, that could possibly work. But I would point out two things.
One is that the policy of the USCCB, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, simply says that we should not honor those who act contrary to our fundamental moral principles and that they should not be given awards. So, if someone does not follow the teachings of the Church, it would seem that even to highlight an area to honor, we should not.
The other thing, as I would like to point out in this case, is that they call it a "lifetime achievement award." So he's not being honored just for that particular item.
OSV News : Is there anything else you would like to add?
- Bishop Paprocki: I just ask for prayers. I think it is very important. We always pray for a change of heart and we believe in the power of God's grace and conversion. So, I ask for prayers for Senator Durbin, for Cardinal Cupich and also for all those involved in the pro-life movement.
—————-
Gretchen R. Crowe is editor-in-chief of OSV News.
This interview was originally published in OSV News. You can consult it here.
—————-
Español 
English 
Italiano