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.
It's Chicago's Apocalypse Now.
Perhaps, a more apt analogy would be Chicago's Heart Of Darkness.
I’m just guessing here because I don’t know much about him but it sounds like the ego got him.