Chicago Archdiocesan Office to Honor Pro-Obama Fr. Pfleger

LifeSiteNews.com -- Your Life, Family, and Culture Outpost ^ | April 6, 2010 | By Kathleen Gilbert

[topher]

Tuesday April 6, 2010

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Chicago Archdiocesan Office to Honor Pro-Obama Fr. Pfleger

Office for Racial Justice: Obama is "not pro-abortion," just "pro-choice"

By Kathleen Gilbert

CHICAGO, April 6, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Archdiocese of Chicago's Office for Racial Justice has announced that Fr. Michael Pfleger, the notoriously controversial priest who has been a prominent supporter of pro-abortion politicians, including President Barack Obama, will be honored at the office's anniversary event in April. Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, who is president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, has approved of the honor and will preside at the event.

Fr. Michael Pfleger, the pastor of Saint Sabina Catholic Church in Chicago, was listed as a planned recipient of the Racial Justice Lifetime Achievement award at an event celebrating the Office for Racial Justice's 10th anniversary and honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 7th.  

Pfleger gained notoriety as a former member of the Catholics for Obama Committee, a voluntary advisory committee to the Obama campaign, and for having called Obama "the best thing to come across the political scene since Bobby Kennedy.”

Pfleger has also drawn criticism from the Archdiocese of Chicago for hosting and supporting various pro-abortion figures, including Rev. Al Sharpton. In 2003, Pfleger violated archdiocesan rules forbidding pro-abortion individuals to speak at the pulpit by inviting singer Harry Belafonte to speak at Sunday Mass at St. Sabina. Belafonte used the opportunity to criticize President George W. Bush for threatening a "woman's right to abortion" with his pro-life policies.

Ironically, the priest has also drawn fire for racist-themed remarks: in 2008 during a videotaped homily, the priest mocked then-senator Hillary Clinton's impending defeat by candidate Obama, implying that Clinton was racist and annoyed that "there's a black man stealing my show." Several days after the remark, which garnered condemnation from both Obama and Cardinal George, Fr. Pfleger apologized, and took a two-week disciplinary leave of absence at the cardinal's urging.

When LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) spoke with Sr. Anita Baird, the founding director of the Office for Racial Justice, she confirmed that Cardinal George had approved the award, and said Fr. Pfleger "has dedicated his life to working for racial justice."

When LSN asked about Pfleger's endorsement of Mr. Obama, Baird interjected, stating that "the president is not pro-abortion, the president is pro-choice."  "I think they are two very different things," she said.

Asked to elaborate, Baird continued: "To be pro-abortion is that you believe in abortion and you support it. And I don't think you'll find that the president has ever said that." Baird pointed to President Obama's controversial abortion-themed speech at the University of Notre Dame last May, saying that "his challenge was that we find ways to ensure that women - that would be their last choice, and that they would choose life."

"I just think we need to be clear with our language," said Baird.

Obama's speech at Notre Dame counseled graduates to shun "demonizing" proponents of the killing of unborn children, and to instead seek "common ground" on the issue.

Baird emphasized that "Fr. Pfleger is a priest in good standing in the archdiocese in Chicago," and that Cardinal George reinstated Pfleger as pastor of St. Sabina after the two-week leave. "So that is not an issue here," she said.

Asked about the Office for Racial Justice's position on life, Baird pointed to the "seamless garment" theory of former Chicago Archbishop Joseph Cardinal Bernardin. She declined to take a position on the issue of endorsing pro-choice candidates.

The Chicago Archbishop's office has not responded to LSN's request for comment on the award as of press time.

Click here for contact information for the Archdiocese of Chicago.

URL: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/apr/10040606.html

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[topher]

"Infallibility" is only when the Pope is making a point when he is stating explicitly that what he is stating is infallible.

Otherwise, the Church is fallible.

For example, the Catholic Church states that abortion is wrong from a point of "infallibility".

But if a particular "liberal" nun has an abortion, then that does not infallibility of the Church invalid.

It is doctrine [and teaching] that is meant to be infallible.

A better example was when Pope John Paul II spoke out against the invasion of Iraq. He was voicing his concerns and the concerns of the Church. But it was not from a position of infallibility.

[Northern Yankee]

As a Catholic I am stunned at this news, but not surprised.

What's next? Giving Pontius Pilate a lifetime achievement award?

[topher]

Maybe I should be spending more time in front of the Eucharist daily, myself [instead of on the Internet].

The Archdiocese of Atlanta has a Eucharistic Adoration program that has blossomed on its own without the Archbishop being the driving force supporting it.

Sometimes priests and bishops get bogged down by things to spend enough time in prayer.

There is a shortage of priests.

And Satan does enjoy going after our priests and other good souls in the church...

[jonrick46]

Notice this line of questioning. It is motivated by Marxist redistributionist thinking. It is what I see as a dangerous element working its way into the Catholic Church in the form of social justice theology:

“So, isn’t it really the employer’s responsibility to see that his employees get a living wage?” The Cardinal, perhaps not prepared for an intellectual battle on this subject, appeared perturbed.

“Although the Church does teach that a worker is entitled to a just wage, it does not provide models as to how this should take place. Do you change the laws in our government? Do you change the economic structure of your company? Or should society provide the ‘safety net’ for families whose income isn’t enough to meet their basic needs?”

“That’s all fine, but I’m saying a Catholic owner of a company shouldn’t be considered a Catholic if he owns several homes, when he has full-time employees who can’t afford a place to live.”

Notice Cardinal George’s response:

“Many Catholics would be shocked to hear you say that,” George said, not yet tipping his hat as to whether he agreed with me or not.

I think he was being guarded; not to let the cat out of the bag as to his real political thinking.

[Tax-chick]

O NE ZOT! What is wrong with these people? Are they from Ares or something? How could they not realize how utterly, absolutely, idiotically wrong this is?

I understand the inertia of bureaucracy, having worked for the Civil Service and some big corporations, but this is still inexcusable. There’s a CEO, as it were, and he should say, “Forget it, no wai.”

[topher]

That was before Cardinal George's time.

Mother Teresa passed away on September 5, 1997. At best, Cardinal George was a "newbie" as head of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Mother Teresa received the Nobel Peace Price.

So I doubt if she would have traveled anywhere for some other award, unless the Pope or her bishop commanded her to...

[highlander_UW]

As a Catholic I am stunned at this news, but not surprised. What's next? Giving Pontius Pilate a lifetime achievement award?

That's a good question.

By recognizing Pfleger as an official of the catholic church they are in essence sponsoring his brand of racism and hate-mongering.

I realize it's the church and not the members, I feel sorry for the rank and file who have to account for racists and priest pedophiles. It's not easy being a catholic I'd guess.

[topher]

There is a Liberal Nun behind this award for a Liberal Priest.

I imagine there may be enough of an uproar to make Cardinal George withdraw any endorsement of this award by the Archdiocese of Chicago.

I consider Cardinal George to be a good man, but even Saint Peter made his mistakes [denying Jesus, etc]

[Tax-chick]

even Saint Peter made his mistakes

That's true, but he was taken by surprise, as it were. Any Church heirarch today knows what he's going to face, and ought to be prepared to shut off the heretical nuttiness with bland firmness.

[dangus]

Not just pro-Obama. Pfleger called for vigilante murders of gun dealers. No, wait, “vigilante” implies that they are murdering criminals; Pfleger’s would-be victims are law-abiding citizens. Besides, isn’t murder what gun-grabbers are trying to oppose? Oh, wait... no, Pfaggot wants an unarmed citizenry so his racial army can kill at will, without worrying about a defender.

[cammie]

I know that. I was responding to a poster who posited that a Catholic should not be able to think a priest was wront when said priest was sanctioned by Rome. My response was that infallibility does not apply here.

PS — You’re right about the Pope having to declare his statement to be infallible with regard to dogma for the doctrine of “infallibility” to apply, but I don’t believe that a Pope has explicitly stated that the Cteachings on abortion are infallible. It’s only been used twice ex cathedra if I recall - Immaculate Conception and Assumption.

[mlizzy]

Yes, you are correct! I have never once gone to Adoration and come home afterward saying, "I wished I would have spent that hour on the Internet instead." :):) Yet the other way around happens frequently.

That's great Atlanta has a good Adoration program. Our parish has 24-hr. Adoration seven days a week, and in fact, our pastor is now the Auxiliary Bishop of Joliet. (He transfers permanently in June.) I'm thinking maybe it had something to do with Adoration.

[Lera]

Liberation theology (social gospel instead of the Gospel of Christ) in the Catholic Church has been responsible for so many deaths/wars in South America .
The only gospel a church like this preaches is communism/Marxism yet even though the Vatican states that communism is wrong the do NOTHING to remove these priest/bishops etc.

(plenty of mainline Protestant churches out there preaching an alternative gospel also hence why we had more than half the nation confused enough to vote in the commies we currently have running the country)

[topher]

Why don't you get a Eucharistic Congress going like the Archdiocese of Atlanta in your diocese?

The Eucharistic Adoration program is so successful in Atlanta that about 20 years ago they started having a Celebration of the Feast of Corpus Christi.

Since about 1998 (or before), they fill the Atlanta [Georgia International] Convention Center.

Weblink:

Archdiocese of Atlanta Eucharistic Congress

They have consistently had crowds of about 10,000+ each year. The event is large enough that it requires 600 volunteers each year.

They have had the following speakers at this event [Eucharistic Congress]:

Father John Corapi, Father Benedict Groeschel, Scott and Kimberly Hahn, Father Frank Pavone, [actor]Jim Caviezel.

There have also been a number of Bishops and Cardinals speak at the event. They have a Spanish "Track" and a Vietnamese "Track".

[Arthur McGowan]

The difference between “pro-abortion” and “pro-choice” is very clear:

A “pro-choice” person believes that abortion should be legal, and that the government should subsidize it.

A “pro-abortion” person believes that abortion should be legal, and that the government should subsidize it.

As the pro-abortion Chicago nun said: Let’s be clear in our terminology.

[Arthur McGowan]

By their fruits you shall know them.

Therefore, I do not consider Cardinal George a good man.

He may be a “nice” man, but he is not a good man.

[NoRedTape]

God is watching.

It is his Church.

Separate the wheat from the chaff.

It's obvious; Even the great Bishop Sheen said that we'd come upon some challenges such as this.

It's like a pebble in the road.

[annalex]

Cardinal George should hear from his flock about this. It is, at best, a decision unwise in the extreme.

However, we don’t know what the award is precisely for — it might be justified in the terms of its charter, — and we don’t know what is the cardinal’s role in it other than presiding over the event. Let us not forget that holding extreme political views is not a sin and be thankful for any priest whose blessed hands give us the Eucharist.

[Theo]

I know all humans are fallible. I was simply pointing out that just as Roman Catholics point out that there are false doctrines and “sinners” among those in Evangelical churches, there are false doctrines and “sinners” among those in Roman Catholic churches. People in glass houses and all that ...

[SaraJohnson]

George, you are a racist disgrace - no less evil than the pedophiles in your midst.