On the morning of September 23, I issued a news release about a “Lifetime Achievement Award” being given to Sen. Dick Durbin on November 3 by the Archdiocese of Chicago. As I detailed, it was already setting off alarms among the clergy and the laity. The reason is simple: there has never been an abortion he couldn’t justify; his voting record on other matters is also in opposition to core Catholic teachings.
By that afternoon, it was becoming clear that this issue was red hot. That is why I wrote an open letter to Sen. Durbin noting the divisions this issue is causing in the Catholic community. I asked that he decline the award and put this issue to rest. We sent the letter in the overnight mail to be delivered the morning of September 24 in his D.C. office; his district office received a copy in the afternoon.
As you know, many bishops have criticized Cardinal Blase Cupich for naming Sen. Durbin as the recipient of this Catholic award. As lay Catholics, it falls to us to persuade the lay party to this dispute, namely Sen. Durbin, to change his mind.
We need as many Catholics as possible to petition Sen. Durbin to decline the award. Please do so, and ask your family and friends to follow suit.
Contact Durbin’s chief of staff, Pat Souders: pat_souders@durbin.senate.gov
