As members of St. Sabina Church met privately with Cardinal Francis George on Thursday, passionate discussions about the temporary removal of Rev. Michael Pfleger from the parish continued among Catholics far beyond the maverick pastor’s devoted congregation.
A wide range of emotions from admiration to outrage to shame erupted across the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago after Pfleger delivered a controversial sermon on race at Trinity United Church of Christ late last month and George decided the priest needed a couple of weeks off for reflection.
Hundreds of angry phone calls and e-mails flooded the archdiocese offices this week, split between those praising George for putting the priest on leave and those supporting Pfleger’s return to the pulpit.
“I do respect the priesthood, but he’s got to respect the priesthood more,” said David Carrollo, a parishioner at St. John Cantius Catholic Church. “The Catholic Church is not a democracy. It never was.”
But Clarissa Porter, 47, said the healing she needs on Sundays cannot take place without Pfleger at St. Sabina.
“He preaches what we need to hear as a community,” she said. “When you hear what’s going on in your head you can make it another week.”
This is far from the first time Pfleger has set Chicago talking. As a priest he is well known for his charismatic preaching style, which is tailored to his mostly black congregation. And as a longtime activist, Pfleger has made headlines for protests against gun sales, police brutality, gang violence and billboards selling alcohol and cigarettes.
But not until Pfleger’s May 25 sermon at Trinity did the cardinal ask him to take a leave. Pfleger was recorded mocking Sen. Hillary Clinton, suggesting she is a white elitist who felt entitled to the Democratic nomination for president, and saying America was the greatest sin against God–a slip of the tongue, he later said.
