The Seamless Garment Unraveled

An Orthodox Catholic Critique in Light of Pope Leo XIV's Recent Remarks

In a recent interview with journalists, Pope Leo XIV intervened in a contentious U.S. Catholic debate by critiquing those who oppose abortion but support the death penalty or harsh immigration policies, declaring them “not really pro-life.” These remarks, made amid controversy over Cardinal Blase Cupich’s plan to honour pro-abortion Senator Dick Durbin with a lifetime achievement award for his immigration advocacy, articulate a moral equivalence that undermines the preeminent priority of abortion in Catholic teaching. This incoherence, consistently promoted by Cupich in opposition to the U.S. bishops’ longstanding affirmation that abortion is the “preeminent” issue in political life, is usually justified with reference to the problematic “seamless garment” theory.

By invoking such equivalence, the pope effectively lent support to Cupich’s objectively morally compromised attempt to celebrate Durbin, despite the senator’s decades-long advocacy for abortion rights, which has led bishops like Thomas Paprocki to bar him from Communion since 2004, prioritising a holistic ethic over the absolute defence of innocent life.

This incident underscores why every faithful Catholic must understand the seamless garment theory: it is a theological construct that, despite its intentions, perpetually relativises grave moral evils and fosters division within the Church. It is for this reason that I write this article; to expose its obvious flaws and argue for its rejection in favour of the clear moral hierarchy articulated in the Magisterium.

What is The Seamless Garment? Who came up with it, in what context and where does the theology fit in.