For the first time since his election in May, Pope Leo XIV has stepped into U.S. politics with a sharp message: people who claim to be against abortion but still support the death penalty cannot truly call themselves “pro-life.”
The pope, a Chicago native and the first American to hold the position, remarked on Tuesday when asked about a controversy involving Illinois Senator Dick Durbin. Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich had planned to honour Durbin with a lifetime achievement award for his work helping immigrants, but some conservative bishops objected because Durbin supported abortion rights.
While Pope Leo called for mutual respect on both sides of the debate, he pointed out what he sees as a contradiction.
“Someone who says ‘I’m against abortion but I am in favour of the death penalty’ is not really pro-life,” the pope told reporters. “Someone who says, ‘I’m against abortion, but I agree with the inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States,’ I don’t know if that’s pro-life.”
His comments reflect Catholic teaching, which not only rejects abortion but also considers capital punishment “inadmissible” under any circumstance. The Church also insists that migrants must be treated with dignity, citing the Biblical command to “welcome the stranger.”
Hours after the pope’s remarks, Cardinal Cupich announced that Senator Durbin had declined the award. Cupich defended his decision to rrecogniseDurbin’s work on immigration, saying the event could have opened dialogue on other moral issues. Still, the dispute highlighted the deep political divisions among U.S. Catholics.
Durbin has long faced conflict with the Church over abortion. In 2004, Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield barred him from receiving Communion in that diocese, a ban that remains in place. Paprocki was among those who criticised Cupich’s award plan but later thanked Durbin for turning it down.
Meanwhile, the White House pushed back at the pope’s comments on immigration. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt rejected claims of inhumane treatment, saying the administration is “trying to enforce our nation’s laws in the most humane way possible.”
Pope Leo, speaking in English to Catholic broadcaster EWTN News, stressed that his aim was not to take sides in U.S. politics but to remind Catholics that being pro-life means defending human dignity at every stage—unborn children, immigrants, prisoners, and the elderly alike.
“I would ask first and foremost that there be greater respect for one another,” he said. “We need to really look closely at all of these ethical issues and find the way forward as both citizens and Catholics.”
The pope’s words echo his predecessor Pope Francis, who also opposed abortion but warned against making it the only issue in Catholic politics. Both men have urged U.S. Catholics to broaden their understanding of “pro-life” beyond party lines.
