The meetings of two groups of Illinois Catholic leaders chaired by Cardinal Blase Cupich were postponed indefinitely last week after a lay leader requested that the Chicago cardinal-archbishop’s controversial decision to honor a pro-abortion-rights senator be discussed. John Breen, a board member of the Catholic Conference of Illinois (CCI), asked on Sept. 23 that Cardinal Cupich’s plan to give Sen. Dick Durbin a “lifetime achievement award” at an upcoming archdiocesan fundraiser be added to the agenda of a Sept. 25 board meeting because the honor risked undermining the group’s advocacy work.

Since the election of Pope Leo XIV in May, there has been no shortage of speculation about what the priorities of the new pope will be. To Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ, it is clear that social issues including migration, world peace, and the environment are close to the heart of Pope Leo. Czerny is prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. In this role, he helps lead the Vatican’s response to migration, ecology, and other social matters.

The number of people formally leaving the Catholic Church in Switzerland fell significantly in 2024. According to figures published Sept. 26 by the Swiss Institute of Pastoral Sociology in St. Gallen, a total of 36,782 people formally left the Church in Switzerland last year, out of a total population of almost three million. That’s 46% fewer Church “exits” than in 2023. A downward trend in departures is also evident in Germany and Austria...

Channeling his inner Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Leo met a “Working Group on Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue” yesterday sponsored by the European Parliament and extolled what he called “healthy secularism,” a core concept for the late German pontiff which he elaborated and advocated in a variety of venues. Leo delivered the brief address in English. His reference to “healthy secularism” echoed the key theme...

What is harmful about this young man presenting himself publicly for Holy Communion while presenting himself as a woman? I’ll focus on four harms: confusing the young, scandalizing the weak, discouraging and alienating the faithful, and harming himself. First, the young are especially vulnerable to confusion by the errors of gender ideology, especially young men and women who themselves suffer from confused feelings about their bodies.

Last week my inbox was inundated with people writing about the recent concert in St. Peter’s Square. For those who missed it, the “Grace for the World” concert was held on September 13 and it remains available on demand on Disney+ for all its subscribers. I did not see the concert and I won’t be paying Disney money to view it...

Pope Leo XIV responded to controversy over the Chicago cardinal’s plans to honor a Catholic U.S. senator who supports legalized abortion, saying that the senator’s record should be considered in its totality and that Americans should search together for the truth on ethical issues.

Cardinal Cupich writes: Senator Durbin today informed me that he has decided not to receive an award at our Keep Hope Alive celebration. While I am saddened by this news, I respect his decision. But I want to make clear that the decision to present him an award was specifically in recognition of his singular contribution to immigration reform and his unwavering support of immigrants, which is so needed in our day.

Illinois Senator Dick Durbin declined on Tuesday a lifetime achievement award he was scheduled to receive from the Archdiocese of Chicago’s office of human dignity and solidarity. Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich issued an announcement on the subject at the same time senior leaders at the U.S. bishops’ conference were confidentially preparing to release a statement on the Durbin award, and had already informed the Vatican’s U.S. representative of their plans, according to several sources close to the process.

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