# Chicago cardinal sparks controversy by honoring abortion-access donor at gala for future priests

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/chicago-cardinal-sparks-controversy-by-honoring-abortion-access-donor-at-gala-for-future-priests/
- Published: 2026-10-27T19:51:26+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-27T20:27:51+00:00
- Original publisher: Fox News (publisher lean: Far right)
- Original article: https://www.foxnews.com/media/chicago-cardinal-sparks-controversy-honoring-abortion-access-donor-gala-future-priests
- Topics: World

## Key points

- Cupich plans to honour donor Michael Sacks at a seminary fundraising gala.
- Sacks-linked giving to abortion-access groups has drawn criticism.
- Cupich says the award recognises community leadership and interfaith relations.

## Summary

Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich plans to honour billionaire donor Michael Sacks at a gala raising money for the education of future priests, prompting criticism over Sacks’s support for abortion-access organisations. The dispute highlights tension between the Catholic Church’s opposition to abortion and Cupich’s argument that the award recognises Sacks’s community leadership and Jewish identity, not all his views.

The Sacks Family Foundation reportedly gave Planned Parenthood of Illinois $500,000 between 2020 and 2022, while Sacks and his wife gave $600,000 to the Prairie State Access Fund. Cupich says a new Nostra Aetate Award recognises interreligious relationships and can honour people with differing moral or political views. Critics cite Church guidance against giving awards or platforms to people whose actions defy fundamental moral principles; last year, Senator Dick Durbin declined a planned honour from Cupich after similar objections.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.