This past week controversy has surrounded a charismatic Catholic priest named Fr. Michael Pfleger whose parish is St. Sabina's, a predominantly black Catholic church on the southside of Chicago. I watched the rant in question by Fr. Pfleger on YouTube as he mocked Hilary Clinton .
As a feminist I find his mocking tirade offensive even though I support Obama. And though I believe in freedom of speech I believe in separation of Church and State. I know that the Catholic Church is a tax-exempt institution and clergy is not generally permitted to outwardly attempt to sway the congregation through their opinions on politics and candidates one way or another. Which is exactly what is happening here. And it is done so blatantly and divisively. Instead of promoting unity among parties, classes, gender and races, Fr. Pfleger performs a huge disservice to all in a very obnoxious way. I think the way he feeds off the attention and encouragement of the crowd falls in line with the shady televangelists of olde. A fine line exists between positive spiritual charisma and loud narcissistic propaganda.
Where is his focus on God and our relationship to Him in all of this?
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St. Sabina Parish leaders to meet with Cardinal George over reinstatement of Rev. Michael Pfleger
By Manya A. Brachear – Chicago Tribune reporter - 11:20 PM CDT, June 4, 2008
A couple scheduled to be married Saturday at St. Sabina Catholic Church and the 51 graduating kindergartners at St. Sabina Academy called on Cardinal Francis George Wednesday to "reinstate" Rev. Michael Pfleger in time for the celebrations this weekend. Church leaders said they would meet with the cardinal to discuss the hiatus he forced on their pastor. "I do not believe Cardinal George fully considered the impact of his decision," said Amanda Breedlove, a prospective bride who for months has envisioned Pfleger presiding at her wedding. "It's a feeling of being robbed. One day your family member is there. One day he's not. A temporary administrator is not our pastor." On Tuesday, George told Pfleger to take a sabbatical "for a couple of weeks" to reconsider his mocking remarks about U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton during a recent sermon. Asked to vacate the church rectory within 24 hours, Pfleger had several places to stay in the Auburn-Gresham neighborhood, church leaders said. They said he had no plans to rent an apartment. Leaders also assured the temporary administrator for St. Sabina appointed by George, Rev. William Vanecko, pastor of St. Kilian's Catholic Church, 8725 S. May St., that they would work with him and that any sharp words were not directed toward him but at decision-makers. "We're encouraging the faith community not to point their fingers at him because he's not the culprit," said Randall Blakey, director of ministry at St. Sabina. Pfleger, a longtime priest and activist on the city's South Side, made headlines with a May 25 guest sermon at Trinity United Church of Christ in which he mocked Clinton and suggested that she is a white elitist who felt entitled to the Democratic nomination for president. As a video of the sermon circulated, Pfleger promised the cardinal that he would not publicly mention any candidate by name this summer and fall and that he would abide by the "discipline common to all Catholic priests." U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, who already had taken hits for controversial statements made by Trinity's now-retired pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., terminated his membership at the South Side church a day later. Pfleger issued a statement Monday seeking to clarify another controversial snippet from that sermon. He said he erred in saying, "America is the greatest sin against God," when he meant "racism." The cardinal repeatedly has allowed Pfleger to stay as pastor of St. Sabina, where he's served for more than 30 years, long beyond church policies that limit pastors to two 6-year terms in a parish. Deacon Michael Threet said Wednesday that his No. 1 concern is Pfleger's absence from the building and fear that he will not return. "There will no future as we know it at St. Sabina," Threet said. "We believe God called Michael Pfleger to this church to be an earthly shepherd at this time. . . . Whether it was appropriate or not, the punishment was extreme and [George is] hurting the faith community."
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