by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
(June 4, 2008) The Chicago priest whose impassioned sermon attacking Hillary Clinton invoked national outrage, has been asked to take a leave of absence for several weeks to reflect on the recent events.
“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,” said Francis Cardinal George of the Archdiocese of Chicago in a June 2 statement.
“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.”
The leave is expected to last about two weeks, said Archdiocesan spokeswoman Susan Burritt. “This is the Cardinal’s way of hopefully relieving some of the pressure, to step away and reflect a little bit. That is the intent here,” she said. “This has been a difficult week in light of everything that’s happened.”
On Tuesday evening, hundreds of parishioners crowded a service at St. Sabina church asking the Cardinal to reinstate Pfleger and requesting a meeting with him. Father Pfleger was not at the service, but the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the former pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ where Father Pfleger gave his controversial sermon, was in attendance.
Father Pfleger apologized for his comments, saying he had received more than 3,000 angry e-mails since giving the sermon. During the meeting with Cardinal George, he promised not to mention presidential candidates by name or engage in partisan campaigning.
Until Father Pfleger’s fate has been decided, the Cardinal appointed Father William Vanecko of nearby St. Kilian’s parish to be temporary administrator of St. Sabina’s.
While expressing his hope that the life of St. Sabina’s parish will continue in an uninterrupted fashion, “I ask the members of St. Sabina’s parish to cooperate with him [Father Vanecko] and to keep him and Fr. Pfleger in their prayers,” the Cardinal said. “They are in mine.”
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