It Took Them Long Enough: Father Pfleger Suspended
This story has made the rounds on the blogs for the last twelve hours, or so, but it is official. Father Pfleger has been suspended from his duties to the Chicago diocese:
CBS 2 News has learned that Francis Cardinal George is temporarily removing Father Michael Pfleger from his position as pastor of St. Sabina Roman Catholic Church on Chicago's South Side.
CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine reports the move comes after several days of deliberation and consultation by the Cardinal, who first learned about Pfleger's racially charged comments about senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton from the pulpit of Trinity Unity Church of Christ last Thursday night.
The Cardinal immediately contacted Pfleger who agreed not to refer to the presidential candidates by name, but as CBS 2 reported at the time, there remained the possibility of some further disciplinary action against Pfleger.
The Cardinal reportedly spoke to Pfleger again Tuesday morning. "I have asked Father Michael Pfleger, Pastor of St. Sabina's Parish, to step back from his obligations there," the Cardinal said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon, "and take leave for a couple of weeks from his pastoral duties, effective today."
The order requires Fr. Pflger to at least temporarily leave the rectory he's called home for the past 24 years. It's clear that Pfleger tried to fight the move.
"Fr. Pfleger does not believe this to be the right step at this time," the Cardinal's statement continued. "While respecting his disagreement, I have nevertheless asked him to use this opportunity to reflect on his recent statements and actions in the light of the Church's regulations for all Catholic priests."
Those regulations ban the preaching of partisan politics.
Catholic priests, like all members of the clergy in all denominations, are required to do one thing from the pulpit: preach on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They are not supposed to engage in politics. We condemn priests and cardinals for calling on the denial of communion for politicians who are pro-abortion because the stance is political, not liturgical. We condemn priests like Father Pfleger for taking a partisan political stance, and opining from the pulpit on purely political points.
Our question is "what took Cardinal George so long?" This was not the first instance of Father Pfleger sticking his nose into politics, so why now? Chances are this was the literal straw that broke the camel's back. Cardinal George rightly understands the fact that Father Pfleger's rhetoric is giving the Catholic Church in Chicago a black eye. After having dealt with the sex abuse scandals for the last decade, the last thing the Church needs now is a new problem in the form of a radical priest.
Hopefully, Father Pfleger is reassigned elsewhere, like a basement somewhere filing records or some such.
Marcie
CBS 2 News has learned that Francis Cardinal George is temporarily removing Father Michael Pfleger from his position as pastor of St. Sabina Roman Catholic Church on Chicago's South Side.
CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine reports the move comes after several days of deliberation and consultation by the Cardinal, who first learned about Pfleger's racially charged comments about senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton from the pulpit of Trinity Unity Church of Christ last Thursday night.
The Cardinal immediately contacted Pfleger who agreed not to refer to the presidential candidates by name, but as CBS 2 reported at the time, there remained the possibility of some further disciplinary action against Pfleger.
The Cardinal reportedly spoke to Pfleger again Tuesday morning. "I have asked Father Michael Pfleger, Pastor of St. Sabina's Parish, to step back from his obligations there," the Cardinal said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon, "and take leave for a couple of weeks from his pastoral duties, effective today."
The order requires Fr. Pflger to at least temporarily leave the rectory he's called home for the past 24 years. It's clear that Pfleger tried to fight the move.
"Fr. Pfleger does not believe this to be the right step at this time," the Cardinal's statement continued. "While respecting his disagreement, I have nevertheless asked him to use this opportunity to reflect on his recent statements and actions in the light of the Church's regulations for all Catholic priests."
Those regulations ban the preaching of partisan politics.
Catholic priests, like all members of the clergy in all denominations, are required to do one thing from the pulpit: preach on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They are not supposed to engage in politics. We condemn priests and cardinals for calling on the denial of communion for politicians who are pro-abortion because the stance is political, not liturgical. We condemn priests like Father Pfleger for taking a partisan political stance, and opining from the pulpit on purely political points.
Our question is "what took Cardinal George so long?" This was not the first instance of Father Pfleger sticking his nose into politics, so why now? Chances are this was the literal straw that broke the camel's back. Cardinal George rightly understands the fact that Father Pfleger's rhetoric is giving the Catholic Church in Chicago a black eye. After having dealt with the sex abuse scandals for the last decade, the last thing the Church needs now is a new problem in the form of a radical priest.
Hopefully, Father Pfleger is reassigned elsewhere, like a basement somewhere filing records or some such.
Marcie
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 12:52 PM
1 Comments:
I hope that he is forced to work with Cardinal George in his office and he relearns how to be a minister of Christ again and not a minister of hate.
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