Vatican’s Pope Leo XIV recently had a slightly different view of the pro-life movements for their support of abortion rights. He made comments about it while honoring Democratic Illinois Senator Dick Durbin with a lifetime achievement award for his efforts to support immigrants. Pope Leo became the new bishop of the Catholic Church on May 8, following Pope Francis’ death on April 21, 2025.
During the award ceremony, Pope Leo said, “Someone who says, ‘I’m against abortion, but I support the death penalty,’ is not truly pro-life,”. “And someone who says, ‘I’m against abortion, but I support the inhumane treatment of immigrants in the United States’ – I’m not sure that’s pro-life either.” The teaching of the church condemns capital punishment and states that it is “inadmissible” under all circumstances.
Here’s the video of the Pope responding to Card. Cupich granting Sen. Richard Durbin a church honor. 10 U.S. bishops have condemned the honor, given Durbin’s record on abortion. Pope Leo does not seem disturbed by the honor. Video: EWTN. pic.twitter.com/AzXIr34kR6
— Raymond Arroyo (@RaymondArroyo) September 30, 2025
The comments sparked immediate backlash from conservative U.S. bishops, many of whom have criticized Durbin for his consistent support of abortion rights and called the situation “an ironic twist.” Meanwhile, Dick Durbin, despite being honored, respectfully declined the award.
As per The Irish Star, Pope Leo’s comments perhaps came from a wholesome perspective, which reflects that being pro-life does not only imply supporting the life of an unborn child but also includes basic human ethics and respect for life, like the unborn, the imprisoned, and the immigrant. The pontiff also spoke against Donald Trump’s immigration and deportation policies of illegal individuals who came to the U.S. in May 2025 in his first address to world diplomats.
However, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to Pope Leo’s claims about the ruthless treatment of immigrants (following reports of abuse in ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ in Florida and a series of overall public complaints) and said, “I would reject [that] there is inhumane treatment of illegal immigrants in the United States under this administration.”
Usually, according to orthodox Catholic beliefs governed by the church, abortion is a sin, for a human life should be protected from the moment of conception; hence, since abortion involves destroying the fetus, it’s a violation of moral law.
Pope Leo Backs Sen. Durbin’s Catholic Award Despite Pro-Abortion Stand
Pope Leo XIV has stepped into a growing controversy in the American Catholic Church, signaling support for honoring Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., with a Catholic “lifetime achievement award” despite the… pic.twitter.com/4y8HpTAwJ8
— Trump2024_no_matter_what (@TexasTrump2024) October 1, 2025
Meanwhile, it said the U.S. Constitution protects a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion, especially in the early months of pregnancy. This rule was passed right after the ruling said there is no constitutional right to abortion, and gave each state the power to ban or allow abortion.
In addition, Trump believes that state law should decide the rights of the people instead of the federal government. In addition, the 79-year-old President wants to protect IVF (in vitro fertilization), after backlash from some conservatives who view embryos as children. (via BOOKINGS).
The Democrats strongly support the idea of abortion and believe that a person has the right to choose what’s best for their body. The Democrats want to protect access to IVF and contraception; expand medication abortion access, and change abortion rights into laws. This issue was a crucial topic to resolve during the 2024 election campaigns, and it remains the same even in 2025.
