(Cardinal) George Temporarily Removes Pfleger From St. Sabina

CBS2 Chicago ^ | 6/3/2008 | n/a

[Pyro7480]

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 Sen. 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 this morning.

A spokesman for the archdiocese would neither confirm nor deny action had been taken to remove Pfleger. Another spokesman said she expected to have some announcement later today.

Indications are that another Chicago priest would take over at St. Sabina, while plans for the permanent reassignment of Father Pfleger, who's been there far longer than is customary in the archdiocese, would be accelerated....

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

Like Wright, he's wasting his comedic talent on partisan politics. He should get an agent. If he can find a sidekick to play Squiggy he won't be out of work long.

[Frank Sheed]

I am sorry that I don’t have the source for the St. Augustine quote. I’m certain that it is buried in the “minute font” at the end of the Magnificat so I’ll have to look it up. It was very moving and dealt with the coin with Caesar and the image on the soul imprinted by God.

As for Fr. Capodanno, here is the website devoted to his cause for sainthood:

http://www.vincentcapodanno.org/

He was made most famous by the recent book “Grunt Padre” which was written by a priest who is also a Chaplain and is stationed in Virginia. Fr. Dan Mode was in Afghanistan for a time with the SFs. IIRC, Fr. Mode comes from a famous military family.

I know that the Knights of Columbus have a Council named after Fr. Capodanno in Quantico, and that he is “good to go” with the Marines who honor him. He was a Maryknoll who served two tours in Vietnam and was killed ministering to a wounded man who was one of those who gave testimony in his cause for Sainthood.

If you want the full lowdown, check out the MOH website and see Capodanno under the listees. His certificate for the MOH is quite astounding. He was wounded multiple times but would not retreat.

http://www.vincentcapodanno.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogsection&id=11&Itemid=34

Requiescat in pace, Pater Vincentus! Ora pro nobis!

[Frank Sheed]

http://www.vincentcapodanno.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogsection&id=13&Itemid=37

Staten Island, NY.

[warsaw44]

Hey! You’ve a very beautiful family, WR ( nice homepage by the way ) God Bless you all.

[STARWISE]

Hallelujah! This heresy has gone on long enough
in our diocese.

I wrote to the good Cardinal today. I pray he
acquires the wisdom and grace of God to do that
which is necessary to protect Holy Church.

As I said in my letter

~~~

A committed priest doesn’t adopt his behavior to the community in which he’s assigned, taking on their indigenous rituals, thinking and speech. A committed and faithful man of God, who respects his vows to God and Holy Church, preaches the accurate Gospel of the Lord, and loyally leads his congregation in following the precepts and traditions of the Catholic Church.

This man has it all backwards, and I find it obscene.

[STARWISE]

Regardless, this is my final post on this thread.

~~

Good. Best to stick to the subject at hand,
when you post.

[Barnacle]

(Cardinal) George Temporarily Removes Pfleger From St. Sabina

There is nothing "temporary" about this. You can be sure that Phleger has been taken to the wood shed many times out of the public eye. The fact that the diocese went public this time means that the gig is up. He's done.

The question now, is whether he'll remain a priest. Anyone whose been so defiant to authority in the past is not about to buckle under now. I anticipate that he will become an independent activist. The show is just starting as he goes it alone completely unbridled by moderating constraint.

The whole thing is tragic. I've met Phleger on a few occasions. I've seen first hand what he's done to create an oasis of civilization in the middle of one of the most heroin infested neighborhoods in Chicago. I think his heart was in the right place, but he got lost in the jungle.

It's Chicago's Apocalypse Now.

[Barnacle]

G-d is Good!

Perhaps... But, God is great!

[cheme]

STATEMENT OF FRANCIS CARDINAL GEORGE, O.M.I.,
ARCHBISHOP OF CHICAGO
June 3, 2008

To put recent events in some perspective, I have asked Father Michael Pfleger, Pastor of St. Sabina’s Parish, to step back from his obligations there and take leave for a couple of weeks from his pastoral duties, effective today. Fr. Pfleger does not believe this to be the right step at this time. 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. I hope that this period will also be a time away from the public spotlight and for rest and attention to family concerns.

I hope also that the life of St. Sabina’s parish may continue in uninterrupted fashion. Fr. William Vanecko, Pastor of St. Kilian’s parish, will be temporary administrator of St. Sabina’s and will assure the full complement of ministerial services during this period. I ask the members of St. Sabina’s parish to cooperate with him and to keep him and Fr. Pfleger in their prayers. They are in mine.

[ducdriver]

“couldn’t speak your mind in George Bush’s America,”

Of course, one would have to have a mind in the first place, before it could be spoken.

[okie01]

I think his heart was in the right place, but he got lost in the jungle.

It's Chicago's Apocalypse Now.

Perhaps, a more apt analogy would be Chicago's Heart Of Darkness.

[Barnacle]

Bill O’Reilly called for this thing...I am sure he will be pleased as punch.

If you like O'Really?, you must not have seen his lying hit piece he did on Free Republic and Freepers in general.

[Antoninus]

As a Catholic, I have to make a point of fact here. The priests were not removed voluntarily by Bishops or Cardinals. The priests were arrested and were in custody of the state. In fact, most pedophile priests have not been excommunicated and still draw pensions. For decades, Cardinals and Bishops knew there was abuse taking place and just shuttled the problem priests among different parishes causing more victims. Had the problem been taken care earlier by RCC leadership, hundreds of parishes and Catholic schools around the country would not have to close to fund lawsuit payments.

You're right about all that. But you err by lumping the good bishops in with the guilty. Many bishops across the country had few or no abusive priests. Unfortunately, we had many bishops in major sees who were homo-friendly and who protected predatory homosexual priests under the (faulty) advice of psychiatrists who said that they could be reformed. Worse, there were (are) almost certainly some bishops who are homosexuals themselves and who filled their dioceses with homosexual priests by design. These bishops are subject to blackmail--see Archbishop Rembert Weakland, formerly of Milwaukee--which is one of the favorite tactics of the Lavender Mafia. Not surprisingly, you'll find the most cases of abusive priests in the dioceses which had homo-friendly bishops.

Needless to say, the most notorious American bishops paid no heed to Vatican directives of any kind. The Vatican told them in 1961 not to ordain homosexuals, but many didn't listen. They have reaped what they sowed.

For their part, the Vatican has been a lot more careful about episcopal appointments since the 1990s--we had a horrible nuncio in the US before then--and the results have been a marked improvement in our bishops. We still have a ways to go, though.

[Salvation]

Let’s hope this become permanent.

[Revolting cat!]

Tomorrow's headline today:

Cardinal George: Shake a Leg Pfleger!

[RobinWWJD]

Can’t they send him to Rome ? There are plenty of job openings for him there:

Someone has to be in charge of keeping the Pope’s slippers clean.... I think it should be this guy.

Or maybe he can be the Pope’s personal hat/skull cap straightener....He needs one of those.

He could bake communion wafers...they never seem to have enough of them at Mass...

Polish the marble steps...

Iron the altar cloth...(We must keep tidy)

Restore the paintings on the ceilings....(That should be done every so often)

Run the bingo gam at the Vatican on Wednesday nights and Saturday afternoons.....

Open and close the Pope’s window on Sunday blessing of the mass.

Wash the Pope Mobile- daily. (He is the Pope you know)

That should keep him busy until November or so. :)

[Antoninus]

Speaking the truth is getting pretty darn dull around here, eh?

You have no idea what you're talking about. The Catholic Church in the US has been dealing with a homosexual infiltration problem since at least the 1950s. The Vatican ordered the US bishops not to ordain homosexuals in the early 1960s. Some listened, many didn't. The abuse crisis is the fault of those who allowed homosexuals to infiltrate the Church in large numbers.

That said, it's ridiculous to hang the entire problem around the neck of the Catholic Church. Homosexual sexual abuse was tolerated by homosexual friendly bishops. I daresay we've had a job getting rid of these characters over the past 40 years. But slowly and surely we are getting rid of them. Compare that to the record of the Episcopal Church (to take the most egregious example) or any of the other mainline Protestant churches. They have chosen to embrace homosexuality. Do you think for a minute they don't have their own sex abuse crises? Don't kid yourself. The difference is, the news media isn't keen on blowing the whistle on their ideological buddies.

And don't even get me started on abuse in the public school system. Do you think there will EVER be an explosive nationwide expose on abuse in public schools that rivals the rectal exam the Catholic Church went through? You heard it hear first--there won't be. And the problem is, perhaps, an order of magnitude worse in the schools.

[Palladin]

I’ll believe it when I see it.

George must be very worried about the church losing its tax-exempt status in the Diocese. For years, priests who spoke out from the pulpit against pro-abortion candidates were threatened with this.

Now let’s see if Pfleger’s minstrel show will be treated as it should and as he should, under the tax laws.

[wardaddy]

thanks