Illinois Senator Richard Durbin has declined a lifetime achievement award from the Archdiocese of Chicago after an outcry among senior Catholic leaders in the United States.
Cardinal Blase Cupich, who leads the Chicago archdiocese, announced on 30 September that Senator Durbin had informed him he would not accept the award, which had been due to be presented at the archdiocese's “Keep Hope Alive” celebration due to occur in November.
The honour was intended to recognise the senator’s work on immigration reform and his longstanding support for migrants, causes the cardinal described as urgently needed in today’s society.
