Durbin has been denied communion in his home Diocese of Springfield since 2004. Durbin told America Magazine’s Jim McDermott, “I found another Catholic venue, the Archdiocese of Chicago, and a church where they were willing to let me in and allowed my wife to join me. So it’s become my new faith home.”
Durbin went on to argue that the Catholic church is hypocritical for taking softer stances against those who take conservative stances on issues such as immigration and capital punishment.
The Catholic doctrine on human life categorizes abortion as a "moral evil," and says that complicity in abortion "constitutes a grave offense." The Catholic doctrine even "attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life."
Former Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput argues that the Catholic Church has good reasons not to give communion to those who outwardly oppose its teachings. He said that doing so would be “creating the impression that the moral laws of the Church are optional … Reception of Communion is not a right but a gift and privilege; and on the subject of ‘rights,’ the believing community has a priority right to the integrity of its belief and practice.”
