A Loyola University Chicago law professor and long-time board member of the Catholic Conference of Illinois (CCI) is being involuntarily removed from his position.
The removal is due to his public criticism of Cardinal Blase Cupich’s plan last year to present a lifetime achievement award to pro-abortion Sen. Dick Durbin.
John Breen, who has served on the CCI board since 2012 as the lay representative for the Diocese of Joliet, will leave after the organization’s Friday meeting, ending nearly 13 years of service. Sources familiar with the situation confirmed to the National Catholic Register that the decision is linked to Breen’s September 2025 statements opposing the award.
The controversy began when Cardinal Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago and de facto head of the CCI, planned to honor Durbin — a Democrat who has long supported abortion, including votes against measures to ban partial-birth abortion and protect babies born alive after failed abortions — at a November 2025 archdiocesan gala.
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Pro-life advocates and several bishops condemned the plan as scandalous and inconsistent with Catholic teaching on the sanctity of human life.
Breen publicly criticized the award, telling the Register that honoring Durbin risked undermining the CCI’s advocacy work.
“All of our work is premised upon the dignity of the human person,” Breen said. “And yet you are going to honor a man who denies the dignity of a whole class of persons? It makes no sense.”
He described Durbin as “the poster child for the ‘inconsistent ethic of life’” and stated, “He is a man who is not worthy of being honored by the Catholic Church.”
Following Breen’s request to add the issue to the CCI board’s Sept. 25, 2025, agenda, that meeting and a related gathering were canceled.
The award was ultimately not presented after Durbin declined it in late September 2025, amid widespread criticism from bishops including Springfield’s Bishop Thomas Paprocki, who has barred Durbin from receiving Holy Communion in his diocese.
The CCI cited recent amendments to its governance procedures as the reason for Breen’s departure, along with that of another long-serving lay member. In a written response, the organization stated it had implemented a staggered membership cycle requiring two-year terms for lay leaders selected by Illinois’ diocesan bishops.
“We recognize the sacrifice of time and talent each member makes and have amended our governance to require a staggered membership cycle of board members,” the CCI said.
It added that two of its longest-serving members would rotate off after seven two-year terms, expressing gratitude: “We are grateful for their dedication, and look forward to welcoming new members to the board.”
However, informed sources indicated the enforcement of these changes followed Breen’s criticism, which conference leadership viewed as him “speaking out of turn” publicly.
When asked by the Register if his departure was voluntary, Breen replied, “No.”
The CCI did not directly address the link to the Durbin controversy in its statement. The Archdiocese of Chicago did not respond to requests for comment, and Bishop Paprocki said he had no first-hand knowledge, as the CCI board had not discussed the matter.
Breen, a Harvard Law School graduate and expert in Catholic social teaching and legal thought, has written extensively on applying Catholic principles to issues including abortion law and academic freedom.
