The Pro-Abortion "Reverend" Al Sharpton to Speak at St. Sabina's (Catholic Church) in Chicago

Catholic Citizens of Illinois ^ | February 05, 2003 | Jim Bowman

[Land of the Irish]

Rev. Michael Pfleger has scheduled Rev. Al Sharpton to preach at St. Sabina Church Sunday, says Kup (Chicago Sun-Times, 2/4/03) and Sun-Times religion writer Cathleen Falsani on 2/5/03.

Rev. Sharpton -- presidential candidate and Pentecostal minister ordained at age 10 in 1964 -- and Marxist, black-focused academic Cornel West, who speaks at St. Sabina Friday night, are not expected "to contradict [parishioners'] beliefs as Christians," Fr. Pfleger told Falsani. Rather, they are to "cause [them] to think out of the box, ask the difficult questions and wrestle with the answers."

The two were invited to publicize "poverty and homelessness and racism and health care," which are "on the backburner [and are] not even being addressed" because Americans are "obsessed with . . . overseas terrorism [and have] ignored the terrorisms we had here long before Sept. 11."

Rev. Sharpton, who supports the right to abort a baby, has a checkered past. He gained national fame when he vigorously espoused the cause of a New York woman who falsely claimed that some policemen had raped her and has never admitted he was wrong. He told Falsani this was his first time preaching in a Catholic church. "The comfort," however, "is that Father Pfleger is a different kind of a Catholic priest," he said.

Falsani notes that Pfleger has given his pulpit to other controverted speakers, including singer Harry Belafonte -- Sunday 1/20, when Belafonte tore into Bush for seeking to eliminate a woman's right to an abortion and promoting war. Pfleger has also several times hosted Black muslim firebrand Louis Farrakhan, ridiculer of the Pope and castigator of Judaism as "a gutter religion."

There will be none of that this time, apparently, from Sharpton, who told Falsani, in her words, that "he intends to put current events in historical and spiritual perspective during his Sunday sermon." (2003-02-05)

CCI EDITOR NOTE:

According to Francis Cardinal George, the policy of the Archdiocese of Chicago is that pro-abortion speakers are not to use church property under any circumstances.

This issue was raised by Governor candidate and State Senator Pat O'Malley, when pro-abortion speakers were allowed to use St. Alexander's in Palos Heights, Illinois., and has recently been raised again regarding Voice of the Faithful using parish centers in Oak Park and Inverness, Illinois, which the Archdiocese has yet to comment on.

To protest this event, please contact the archdiocese via email at,

scash@archchicago.org

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[Land of the Irish]

"cause [them] to think out of the box

A non-Catholic, pro-death presidenial candidate is invited into a Catholic church, by a Catholic priest, to tell the parishoners to "think outside the box".

What will Francis George do?...........Nothing!

[Land of the Irish]

Ping

[Loyalist]

Rev. Sharpton -- presidential candidate and Pentecostal minister ordained at age 10 in 1964

You only need a grade four education to be ordained a Pentecostal minister?

Sounds like there could be a market for Dick, Jane and Spot readers on scriptural exegesis, patristics and systematic theology.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

The GIRM and rubrics mean nothing to Pfleger. Time to drop that phoney a note here

[Land of the Irish]

Thanks.

[Dajjal]

What will Francis George do?...........Nothing!

The very least he could do would be to schedule a Native American ritual to garnish Rev. Sharpton with herbs and spices for spiritual (spiritualist?) purification.

[ultima ratio]

There is a higher faith for Cardinal George than Catholicism. That is his profound and deeply-felt commitment to political correctness as determined by the tenets of liberalism. In this he is like most American bishops for whom faith in liberalism knows no bounds. They will not ever dream of compromising its tenets--though they compromise their Catholicism cheerfully and frequently.