
A lifetime achievement award being presented by a cardinal in Chicago set off a chain of statements that forced the Donald Trump administration to assure the public that illegal immigrants are and will continue to be treated with humanity. This came right after Pope Leo XIV made his first foray into contemporary US politics.
Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, 80, recently announced that once his term ends in 2027, he will not seek reelection. In celebration of Durbin’s lifetime of support for the rights of migrants, Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago offered him a lifetime achievement award; Durbin has since rejected it. However, the award has sparked a debate that quickly reached the White House and the Vatican.