Apologetics for the Masses #526 - The Pope, Cardinal Cupich, and the Value of a Human Being

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Topic

The controversy surrounding Cardinal Cupich wanting to give a Catholic "Lifetime Achievement Award" to Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois for his work on immigration issues.

General Comments

No newsletter next week, as I'll be traveling to Greenville, South Carolina, to participate in the 13th Annual Marian Eucharistic Conference - as a speaker and the emcee - on Friday and Saturday (Oct. 24/25). Other speakers will be: Fr. Chris Alar, Fr. Donald Calloway, Fr. Joseph Mary Wolfe of EWTN, Russ Breault (if you haven't ever seen his presentation on the Shroud of Turin, it is incredible!) and Daniel Cellucci of the Catholic Leadership Institute. If you live anywhere close to Greenville, I hope to see you there. Make sure to come up and say hello! For more information on the conference, and/or to register: https://meconferencesc.net/.

Introduction

You may have heard about all the commotion caused by Cardinal Blase Cupich when he announced a few weeks ago that he was going to give a "Lifetime Achievement Award" to Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, for his work on immigration issues, at a banquet hosted by the Archdiocese of Chicago. Durbin, a self-professed "Catholic", is radically pro-abortion. A whole lot of Catholics, including 10 bishops, objected to a radical pro-abortion advocate receiving any kind of award from the Catholic Church. Well, Durbin, because of all the backlash he and Cupich received, ended up turning down the award.

What I want to do is take a look at the response Cupich gave once he started getting push back from other bishops, but even moreso I want to look at the response Pope Leo gave when questioned about the controversy, and why I find both to be totally inadequate and, frankly, exceedingly disappointing. So, below is a brief recap of the background, then the response from Cupich and the Pope, and then my response.

Challenge/Response/Strategy

Background
The Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office of Human Dignity and Solidarity Immigration Ministry and Cardinal Blase J. Cupich were scheduled to give Senator Dick Durbin, who is a baptized Catholic, an award at an event supporting the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Immigration Ministry. The archdiocese stated, “We will recognize community leaders whose generous work and dedication have helped to advance our mission in the Archdiocese of Chicago and beyond,” and said that Durbin would receive the award “for his work with immigrants.”

This raised a ruckus from the pro-life community within the Church because Durbin had consistently voted for pro-abortion legislation in the Senate and against pro-life legislation. For example, he voted against the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, which prohibited late-term abortion procedures; the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which sought to ban abortions after 20 weeks when unborn children may feel pain; and the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which would have mandated life-saving care for infants born alive during failed abortions. He voted against saving the lives of babies who survived abortions! How evil is that?! He was also a proponent for the dubiously named Women’s Health Protection Act, which aimed to codify Roe v. Wade and make it legal, in all 50 states, to have an abortion at anytime up to the birth of the baby (I'm sure he would say up to the birth of the "fetus").

Because of his pro-abortion position and votes, he was barred from receiving Communion in his home diocese of Springfield, Illinois, by Bishop Thomas Paprocki, back in 2021. So, in effect, you had a cardinal who was going to give a Lifetime Achievement Award to a Catholic who had been banned from receiving Communion by his diocesan bishop! What kind of message does that send to the faithful? And what kind of message does that send to non-Catholics? And what kind of message does that send to Senator Durbin? "Hey, it's okay if you advocate for the killing of babies, just keep up all the good work on immigration, capiche?"

Thankfully, several bishops - 10 altogether - made public statements opposing Cupich's plan to give the award to Durbin. Bishop Thomas Paprocki, the bishop who had banned Senator Durbin from receiving Communion, issued a statement which said: “Given Senator Durbin’s long and consistent record of supporting legal abortion — including opposing legislation to protect children who survive failed abortions — this decision [to give him a Lifetime Achievement Award] risks causing grave scandal, confusing the faithful about the Church’s unequivocal teaching on the sanctity of human life. Honoring a public figure who has actively worked to expand and entrench the right to end innocent human life in the womb undermines the very concept of human dignity and solidarity that the award purports to uphold.” Thank you, Bishop Paprocki!

The other bishops who issued public statements in opposition to the award were: Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone (San Francisco), Joseph Strickland (formerly of Tyler, TX), James Conley (Lincoln, NE), James Wall (Gallup, NM), David Ricken (Green Bay), Michael Olson (Ft. Worth, TX), Carl Kemme (Wichita, KS), James Johnston (Kansas City-St. Joseph, MO), and Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann (formerly of Kansas City, Kansas).  Also, a number of Catholic organizations and laity publicly opposed the award.

Cardinal Cupich's Response
Cardinal Cupich replied to the criticism by saying, “Recently some have criticized the decision of the Archdiocese of Chicago to recognize Senator Dick Durbin at our annual fundraiser for our immigration ministry, Keep Hope Alive. At the heart of the consistent ethic of life is the recognition that Catholic teaching on life and dignity cannot be reduced to a single issue, even an issue as important as abortion. The annual celebration of immigrants, Keep Hope Alive, will recognize all the critically important contributions Senator Durbin has made to advance Catholic social teaching in the areas of immigration, the care of the poor, Laudato Si’, and world peace. The recognition of his defense of immigrants at this moment, when they are subjected to terror and harm, is not something to be regretted, but a reflection that the Lord stands profoundly with both immigrants who are in danger and those who work to protect them.”

Pope Leo XIV's Response
When asked a question about the controversy over the proposed award for Senator Durbin, Pope Leo started off by saying that he was “not terribly familiar with the particular case.” He then went on to say that “it’s important to look at the overall work that a senator has done during, if I’m not mistaken, in 40 years of service in the United States Senate. I understand the difficulty and the tensions, but I think as I myself have spoken in the past, it’s important to look at many issues that are related to the teachings of the Church. Someone who says, ‘I’m against abortion’ but is in favor of the death penalty is not really pro-life. 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. So they are very complex issues, and I don’t know if anyone has all the truth on them, but I would ask, first and foremost, that they would have respect for one another and that we search together both as human beings, and in that case as American citizens and citizens of the state of Illinois, as well as Catholics, to say that we need to be close to all of these ethical issues. And to find the way forward as a Church. The Church teaching on each one of those issues is very clear.”

My Response
I was exceedingly disappointed with this entire sordid affair, for several reasons:

1) First and foremost, for a cardinal of the Catholic Church to give an award - of any kind - to someone who is publicly known as a staunch and adamant proponent of the "right" to murder innocent babies in their mothers' wombs, is all kinds of wrong and scandalous. Essentially, what this reveals is that Cardinal Cupich apparently believes the unborn baby has little to no inherent value as a human being. (I will explain my reason for saying that in #5 below.) Cupich spoke of a "consistent ethic of life". Well, where is Dick Durbin's "consistent ethic of life"? The cardinal was going to give a Lifetime Achievement Award to someone who does not - as is apparent by the Cardinal's own words - have a consistent ethic of life. So, Dick Durbin was going to be honored even though he does not have a consistent ethic of life - far from it. Would Cardinal Cupich give an award to a staunch pro-life advocate who held the "wrong" views on immigration? Ain't no way. Hypocrisy.

Also, this whole thing about comparing the issue of abortion to the issue of immigration and the issue of the death penalty - as if they are all, in essence, the same issue - is a farce. The slaughter of one million unborn babies a year is not the same as whether or not we should allow unfettered immigration across our borders. And it is not the same as the state putting to death people who have been found guilty of heinous crimes.

And, what about the inhuman treatment of the tens of thousands of women and children immigrants who end up being raped and/or sold to human traffickers? What about the hundreds of thousands who are robbed and/or fleeced out of thousands of dollars each by the cartels? What about the thousands upon thousands who are drafted into service as drug mules? What exactly did Durbin do for any of those people? By the way, what exactly were the "important contributions" Durbin made to the advancement of Catholic social teaching in the areas of immigration, caring for the poor, and world peace?

Finally, I simply was astounded by the hypocrisy of Cardinal Cupich's words here: "The recognition of [Senator Durbin's] defense of immigrants at this moment, when they are subjected to terror and harm, is not something to be regretted, but a reflection that the Lord stands profoundly with both immigrants who are in danger and those who work to protect them.” Cupich instead should have issued this statement: "The recognition of Senator Durbin's lack of defense of the unborn at this moment, when they are subjected to terror and mutilation and death, is indeed something to be regretted, and is a reflection that the Lord stands profoundly with the unborn children who are in danger of death and is opposed to those who work to kill them."

2) The fact that out of a few hundred bishops alive today in the United States, only 10 saw fit to issue public statements condemning this honor that was to be given to Senator Durbin. You should have had a public statement from every bishop in the U.S. within just a few days of the announcement of the award. Now, maybe other bishops besides those ten had made private calls to the Archdiocese of Chicago or to the USCCB to voice their objections - I'll hold out hope that some did. However, they still should have made public statements so that the faithful of their dioceses would have the teaching of the Church reinforced in their minds, and they would know exactly where their particular bishop stood on the issue. It could have been an incredible catechetical moment for the bishops and it could have been a powerful witness to those outside of the Church. Our bishops need to be bold in their defense of Church teaching so that the faithful of their flocks can be bold in their defense of Church teaching. Now is the time, this is the place.

3) The lack of an official response from the USCCB. I have read that the USCCB was possibly in the process of issuing a statement in opposition to Durbin receiving the award. Again, I hope that was indeed the case. But, they had two weeks or so - between the announcement of the award and Durbin declining the award - to issue a statement, and didn't do it. Plus, even after Durbin declined the award, the USCCB could have issued some sort of statement about how pro-abortion Catholics should not be receiving anything from the Church - other than an invitation to come to Confession and repent of their sins.

4) The Pope said he wasn't "terribly familiar" with the case. It had been two weeks since the announcement of the award to Senator Durbin. Several high profile American bishops and archbishops had publicly issued statements condemning the award. The whole thing was playing out in the Pope's hometown of Chicago. Cardinal Cupich is, by many accounts, a very close friend of the Pope's - some say he was the force behind the Pope's election. And the Pope wasn't "terribly familiar" with the case? But then, he goes on and says some things that make it sound like maybe he was familiar with the case after all?

5) The tepid statement of the Pope. The Pope's statement seems to suggest, at least to me, that he, like Cardinal Cupich, does not place a very high value on the inherent dignity and worth of the unborn child. Why do I say that? Well, if you really thought that an unborn child was fully human, and endowed with inestimable value and dignity, then how could you say what he said? How could you say, "It’s important to look at the overall work that a senator has done during...[his] 40 years of service in the United States Senate?" I mean, if Senator Durbin was a staunch proponent of the right to gas one million Jews a year, instead of the right to kill one million unborn babies a year, do you think the Pope would have said, "It’s important to look at the overall work that a senator has done during...[his] 40 years of service in the United States Senate?" Of course not! Which seems to indicate that the Pope does not see unborn babies as human beings equivalent in value and dignity to those who have already been born.

Or, if Senator Durbin was a staunch proponent of the right to lynch one million black men a year, do you think the Pope would have said, "It’s important to look at the overall work that a senator has done during...[his] 40 years of service in the United States Senate?" Of course not! Which, again, seems to indicate that the Pope does not see unborn babies as human beings equivalent in value and dignity to those who have already been born.

Or, what if - I think it was Archbishop Cordileone who used this example - what if Senator Durbin was an advocate for killing everyone who crossed into the country illegally? What would the Pope have said about looking at his "overall work" in that case? Think about it. What if Senator Durbin had voted for legislation that would have allowed the U.S. Army to set up machine gun positions all along the Rio Grande and mow down in a hail of bullets anyone and everyone who crossed the river into Texas? If that was the case and Cardinal Cupich was going to give Durbin a Lifetime Achievement Award for his "important contributions" in advancing Catholic social teaching in the areas of concern for the poor, the unborn, the environment, and world peace, would the Pope have said, "Well, ya know, you have to look at the whole body of his work over 40 years. You can't just focus on one issue." There is no way the Pope would have ever said that!

Which indicates to me, that there seems to be a fundamental disconnect between what Pope Leo and Cardinal Cupich (and anyone else who thinks as they do) believe in regard to the inherent value and dignity of the unborn human being vis-a-vis the inherent value and dignity of those who have already been born. If you would not ever...EVER!...think to give an award to someone who was voting for laws allowing for the gassing of one million Jews per year or the lynching of one million black men per year or the machine gunning of one million illegal immigrants per year, then why on earth would you say, when it comes to someone who is voting for laws allowing the butchering of one million unborn babies a year, "Well, you need to look at the overall work they have done?!" The only reason you would do so, is if you hold a diminished view of the inherent value and dignity of the unborn human being.

Here's the thing. Why do we have value as human beings? Is it because we've been born? Is it because we have consciousness? Is it because we are able to work and earn money? To have families? To pay taxes? To contribute to society? Is it because we are "wanted"? No! None of the above!

We have value as human beings for one reason and one reason only...because God loves us. If you assign value to a human being for any other reason, then that value is purely subjective and that value can be arbitrarily taken away. God's love as the source of our value and dignity is purely objective and it cannot be taken away.

And when did God start loving us? In other words, when did we obtain this inherent value that we have as human beings? From all of eternity! God has loved us from all of eternity and He will love us for all of eternity. Which means, from the very moment of our conception, we have had immeasurable value, dignity, and worth as human beings. That one-celled zygote floating through your mother's fallopian tube was loved by God as much as He loves you right now. No change in value because you've been born. No change in value because you were "wanted". No change in value because you can work, pay taxes, contribute to society, etc. So to act...to think...to vote...as if there is a difference between the value of the unborn child and the value of those already born, is to truly not understand the Source of human dignity and value.

Which is why I was so disappointed in what the Pope said in regard to this matter. Something like that was to be expected from Cardinal Cupich. Disappointing, but expected. From the Holy Father, though...very disappointing.

Closing Comments

Again, no newsletter next week. Please pray for me as I travel to Greenville for that conference. And please know that I keep you and your loved ones in my daily prayers.

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