In 2021 Cardinal Blase Cupich opposed a vote by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on whether to bar pro-choice Roman Catholic politicians from receiving the Eucharist at mass, fearing such a vote would only divide American bishops.
In 2025 he was criticized for his decision to give Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, a pro-choice Catholic, a lifetime achievement award in recognition of the senator’s work on behalf of immigrants. Durbin declined the award amid the uproar. Cupich subsequently stated that the ongoing divisiveness in the U.S. church has left many Catholics “politically homeless.”