CV NEWS FEED // Illinois Right to Life expressed its extreme disappointment that Chicago Archbishop Cardinal Blase Cupich led the prayer at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on August 19 while free abortions were being offered as part of the event.

Cardinal Cupich, who had previously spoken at the March for Life in Chicago in 2019, delivered the prayer at the DNC while Planned Parenthood stationed a mobile “health” clinic just outside the venue, providing free abortions.

According to an emailed press release from Illinois Right to Life, Planned Parenthood officials reported that 10 abortions had already been performed by the end of the first day of the DNC.

Mary Kate Zander, president of the Right to Life movement in the state of Illinois, claimed in her press release that the Harris-Walz list is the most aggressive pro-abortion list in United States history and highlighted the growing hostility of the Illinois Democratic Party toward the pro-life message.

According to Zander, the cardinal has turned down an obvious opportunity to “condemn their abhorrent, murderous policies” and in doing so has effectively “betrayed the vibrant pro-life community he once belonged to in our state.”

“It is incredibly disheartening to see a local church leader who was once dedicated to our cause participate in such a profoundly pro-life and pro-family event as the DNC,” Zander said.

In his invocation, the cardinal stressed the importance of unity and called for rejecting “moral blindness and fear of the other” in order to free the nation from “persistent injustices.” However, he did not mention abortion or the nearby Planned Parenthood center.