Cardinal George suspends Rev. Pfleger

[hedgehog]

Source: Chicago Tribune

The tension that has simmered for decades between the Rev. Michael Pfleger and the Archdiocese of Chicago came to a head Wednesday when Cardinal Francis George suspended the outspoken priest from St. Sabina Catholic Church, the South Side parish he has led for nearly 30 years.

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In the letter, George said he had offered Pfleger the position at Leo, a parochial school near St. Sabina, because the archdiocese needed him there. He said it also would allow Pfleger to continue his advocacy work for gun control, education and service to the poor. The cardinal said it was not a demand, but a proposal, which he urged Pfleger to accept.





Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-cardinal-george-pfleger-0428-20110427,0,5859056.story

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Father Pfleger has been working to get guns off the streets of Chicago. There are some suggestions Cardinal George is responding to pressure from the NRA and the right wing.


IMO, Cardinal George does things like this just fine on his own!

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

1. Pfleger gets more done for the community in one afternoon than some asshole cardinal does in 5 yrs.

[AngryAmish]

2. Pfleger has been at the parish for thirty years

There are very good reasons why priests need to move around every dozen years or so. The primary reason is to prevent exactly the sort of thing that has occurred at St. Sabina.

A priest does not own the parish. He is to serve the parish. It is not his personal fiefdom. Father Pfleger has created a cult of personality where people listen to him, not the Cardinal. Like it or not the Catholic Church is hierarchical, ie you have to listen to the Pope. Pope appointed Cardinal George so a parish priest has to listen to the cardinal. Don't like it? Leave the Church. But you can't stay as a priest.

I understand Father Pfleger may feel uncomfortable in other parishes where his sexual preference is a big deal. But if he is Catholic, he must obey.

[bongbong]

3. ????

I thought you weren't supposed to worship ANY human (in any religion).

And I thought Jesus didn't like guns.

Maybe I'm mistaken about religion.

[Melinda]

5. "Sexual preference"? Ummm, I don't get this reference...

Can you tell me what Father Pfleger's "sexual preference" is, and what his "sexual preference" has to do with his reassignment? Yours is the first reference about Father Pfleger's "sexual preference" I've ever read or even heard of. I'm curious to learn more.

You also said: "But if he is Catholic, he must obey". This confuses me as well. I thought all Catholic priests were prohibited from sexual relationships of any kind, and yet I know of many sexually active priests - most particularly pedophiles - who continue or continued to serve after being discovered despite the churches prohibition on sexual activity. Word.

There is much to be said on the topic of Father Pfleger, his works, his activism, and his face offs with the church over the years, but his "sexual preference"? Color me confused. :shrug:

[ieoeja]

10. Not all priests take a vow of chastity.

All are required to remain unmarried (celibate). But not necessarily chaste. Of course, sex outside of marriage would be a sin. But lots of things are a sin. Toss a couple Hail Marys, and all is forgiven.

[hedgehog]

14. Well, he does support the ordination of females......

[Texano78704]

6. You have to listen to the Pope?

Yeah, that must be why 98% of Catholics use some other form of birth control other than "Vatican Roulette."

[WarhammerTwo]

12. Yup, ya do.

Otherwise, you're a huge friggin' hypocrite and, according to my (former) priest, "Not a Catholic." If you willingly do not march in lockstep with the mindset, rules and regulations, you are, in the eyes of the church, no longer "Catholic" and are barred from partaking in the Holy Eucharist. That's not excommunication, mind you.

When I confronted my priest with the fact that I fully support gay marriage, do not support pro-life legislation (although I personally abhor abortion with the exceptions of incest or rape), do not believe in transubstantiation or the infallibility of Papal statements, he told me that while I was always welcome to attend Mass, I should not refer to myself as Catholic and I could not take communion. That is, unless I go to confession, repent for my sins and completely reverse my beliefs on all my positions.

I liked our Mass. I was raised Byzantine Catholic and the whole service is sung by the congregation from beginning to end. And the things we sing (pray for) during the Mass are beautiful and compassionate things. If you've never been to a Byzantine Catholic church and you know of one, give it a go. Even if you don't believe one damn word of it, it's a chance to broaden your horizons. That's why I've attended Jewish, Hindu and Muslim services in their respective houses of worship. And if you've never been to a Hindu temple, give that a go too. Probably one of the most interesting places I've ever visited. However, I digress.

Anywho, I couldn't bring myself to keep going to Mass mainly because I was getting tired of the pomp and circumstance of it all. I was seeing all the fancy robes, and ornate artwork and gold chalices and jewel encrusted Bibles and hearing sermons every week about what we need to do to be better Catholics (like making sure to attend service every Sunday) and less about being good Christians (like volunteering at the food bank every Saturday). In fact, I never once in all my years of church attendance at various parishes ever hear one serum about volunteering to do anything, except volunteer for Bingo. So I would go on Sundays and be angry and stew over the wasted opportunities for this church to tell its congregation to go out into the world and be the hands and feet of Jesus: to bring good news to the poor, feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, comfort the sick and free the unjustly imprisoned. Never heard any of that.

So coupled with that resentment and my sharp disagreement on social and political issues, I resolved that I wasn't going to be a hypocrite like so many other Catholics. I wasn't going to pick and choose which Catholic rules I would follow. Doing that automatically makes you "not- Catholic." To rationalize your way around it is being, in my opinion, an asshat. So, I left. I left and am now a proud card-carrying member of the United Church of Christ. Next to starting a family and marrying my wife, it was the best decision I ever made.

[freshwest]

16. Since you say that, 'I fully support gay marriage, do not support pro-life legislation...'

What will you do if your local Church of Christ doesn't agree to be true to your beliefs? Growing up, those in the Church of Christ that I knew were politically conservative, but it's been awhile.

Googling 'Church of Christ,' I learned it's Obama's denomination. Here is a link to with their doctrines, but unfortunately the Obama bashers arrive and go crazy in the comments.

But it appears that you have joined a good group for social change, which is what you were wanting all along. Good luck.

[ieoeja]

9. Normally, I would agree. But my understanding is that Pfleger took a parish nobody wanted.

Now that the area has improved, and Pfleger has become a target of the Rightists, they want him to move. If the man took the job nobody wanted, then I think he is the right man in the right place.

Otherwise, I would concur and add some historical backing to the position. In the Dark Ages bishops set up their own fiefdoms. They enriched themselves, got married then passed those riches, and their title, to their heirs.

This is why they stopped priests from marrying. This is why, as you have already stated, they move priests around.

If not for this, a lot of these bishops/priests would look like the multimillionaire televangelists.

But I feel this is one case warranting an exception.

[hedgehog]

13. IMO, the main reason priests are moved around is to keep them isolated

within the clerical culture. Let them stay long enough to get to know the people, and they won't be so tied to the bishop.

In my experience, many (most?) priests behave as if they do own the parish. I've seen more than one priest come into a parish, dismiss local traditions and rearrange the church to his satisfaction. Generally, these guys receive full support from the bishop, even if they are engaged in vandalism.
http://ncronline.org/news/faith-parish/denver-catholics-fight-restore-guadalupe-mural


There may or may not be a cult of personality around Father Pfleger, but I submit he is beloved precisely because he does serve his parish and call his parishioners to live the Christian message. If you want to discuss men who developed a cult of personality, what about Escriva, Maciel, Father Z, Cardinal Burke and John Paul II?

Right now, there is a struggle within the Catholic Church to determine whether we define ourselves as this:



or this:

[GodlessBiker]

4. This priest has to move; but the ones who molest children, they can stay.

[TexasProgresive]

7. Actually those didn't stay

They were moved from parish to parish with fresh victims.

[AndyTiedye]

8. The Church Isn't So Big on Service to the Poor These Days

If he were active in trying to ban abortion, they would have promoted him.

[ieoeja]

11. Actually, that is exactly WHY they move priests around.

As mentioned above, bishops used to sit in one place and enrich themselves a la modern televangelists. Priests are moved around (and banned from marriage) precisely to put an end to that practice. They can amass all the fortune they want, but it WILL be taken from them when they move.

That said, I believe Pfleger should be an exception.

[Pterodactyl]

15. The rules are when you get tranferred, you gotta do what the bishop says.

Despite the long time he has served at the parish, that assignment is the bishop's to make and is not up to the parish priest. If Father Pfleger does not like it, he can quit.