Fr. Michael Pfleger Getting Media Attention Over Rev. Wright

[Paladin D]

[color="#0000FF"][size=7][b]OBAMA-PFLEGER TIE RUNS DEEP[/b][/size][/color]

[url="http://catholicleague.org/release.php?id=1440"]http://catholicleague.org/release.php?id=1440[/url]

[i]May 30, 2008


Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on Rev. Michael Pfleger’s remarks at Sen. Barack Obama’s church that led the Catholic priest to apologize and the Democratic hopeful to renounce them:

“Most commentators are already focusing on the inappropriateness of the race-baiting comments by Father Pfleger. More serious is the venue in which he delivered his diatribe and his long-standing ties to Sen. Obama.

“Father Pfleger’s tirade would be inexcusable anywhere, but it is even more offensive when it happens in a church. It does not matter that it was not his own, nor does it matter that it happened in a church that has a record of allowing demagogues to exploit it. When churches become forums for political rallies, both religion and the First Amendment are corrupted.

“Obama and Pfleger are no strangers. Indeed, when Obama was in the state senate in Illinois, he conveniently arranged for Father Pfleger’s St. Sabina’s Church to receive state monies for its social programs. Of course, the guardians of church and state separation said nothing then and they are saying nothing now. That’s because they’re all in the tank for Obama. Just as important, why is it that of all the wonderful Catholic priests in the Chicago Archdiocese, Obama long ago chose Pfleger to hang with? Truth be known, Pfleger has a very troubling history: he has welcomed the anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan to preach in his church; he has hired prostitutes to worship there; he has been arrested for defacing billboards; and he once urged the crowd at an anti-gun rally to hunt down a gun store owner ‘like a rat’ and ‘snuff’ him.

“Senator Obama says he wants to bring people together. Then why does he choose as his clerical friends people like Rev. Jeremiah Wright and Father Pfleger? They are two peas in a pod, both equally divisive, separated only by the color of their skin."[/i]

[Deb]

Hired Prostitutes to worship at his church??

[CatherineM]

If we had the money, I love to see the prostitutes paid to come inside.

[Paladin D]

[quote name='Era Might' post='1549407' date='May 30 2008, 01:15 PM']Has Fr. Pfleger said, or done, anything in contradiction to Church teaching? I don't know if a Bishop can punish a Priest just because he disagrees with the Priest's opinions, unless those opinions are contradictory to the faith. When a Bishop gives an imprimatur, for example, the imprimatur states that the Bishop does not necessarily agree with the opinions in the book, only that there is nothing in the book which contradicts faith and morals. Unless Fr. Pfleger contradicts Church teaching (in word or in deed), I don't know if there is much that the Archdiocese can do.[/quote]

Can the Bishop not take disciplinary action towards a priest who makes a political endorsements from the pulpit?

From what I heard (not sure if this is true), Fr. Pfleger has acted in this behavior before. This doesn't make the Catholic Church look good, and it portrays Cardinal George in a negative light, because you got people like Bill O'Reily who are portraying him as 'weak' and wondering why he isn't doing anything in regards to this situation. When you have a screaming priest on a pulpit, who is preaching a political message to a racist-congregation, with no threat of disciplinary action, it does a grave diservice to the image of the Church's authority and leadership in not only the media spotlight, but also to the Catholic faithful.

[Era Might]

[quote name='Paladin D' post='1550138' date='May 30 2008, 11:15 PM']Can the Bishop not take disciplinary action towards a priest who makes a political endorsements from the pulpit?[/quote]
Maybe. But I don't think the controversy (at least in the media) is that Fr. Pfleger supports Obama. The controversy in the media seems to be Fr. Pfleger's general opinions and how he expresses them, his defense of Jeremiah Wright, etc.

I think the Bishop is in a difficult position, because he may disagree with some of Fr. Pfleger's opinions, but those opinions may be within the bounds of doctrinal orthodoxy. The Bishop is not a dictator. He has to have a serious reason to punish a Priest. He can't just punish a Priest because of media pressure.

I don't know much about Fr. Pfleger, so I'm not trying to defend him or his opinions. I'm just saying that we should understand the position that the Archdiocese is in.

Here is a statement issued by Cardinal George of Chicago:

[quote]The Catholic Church does not endorse political candidates. Consequently, while a priest must speak to political issues that are also moral, he may not endorse candidates nor engage in partisan campaigning.

Racial issues are both political and moral and are also highly charged. Words can be differently interpreted, but Fr. Pfleger’s remarks about Senator Clinton are both partisan and amount to a personal attack. I regret that deeply.

To avoid months of turmoil in the church, Fr. Pfleger has promised me that he will not enter into campaigning, will not publicly mention any candidate by name and will abide by the discipline common to all Catholic priests[/quote]

[Winchester]

[quote name='CatherineM' post='1549897' date='May 30 2008, 07:11 PM']If we had the money, I love to see the prostitutes paid to come inside.[/quote]I'd say for me it would depend on the individual prostitute.

[apparent]

Fr Fleger is very popular among the blacks in Chicago. There is one thing noticeable on the YouTube video of him, saying how much he loves Louis Farrakhan is that the parish is standing-room only. Perhaps Cardinal George will not deal with Fr Fleger properly because Fr Fleger has such a big following in his arch-diocese.

[Didymus]

Now I admit that I personally was offended by Fr. Pfleger's remarks, but even I can see that Cardinal George has bigger fish to fry than dealing with Fr. Pfleger.

[Saint_Gemma_Galgani]

[quote name='Deb' post='1549169' date='May 30 2008, 05:58 AM']This Priest also called Louis Farrakhan, "a gift from God to a sick, sick world." I think this is the first time since I came back to the church that I have been so saddened by the actions of a Priest.
[b]I think maybe he needs reassignment to say, a mission in Haiti?[/b][/quote]

I agree, but he should not allowed to preach, and he should have to live like an average Haitian (two meals per day, tiny house with a dirt floor and cardboard for a roof, and substandard medical care), and the money that would otherwise go to his salary should go to support one of Haiti's many orphanages.

[Didymus]

[quote name='Paladin D' post='1550138' date='May 30 2008, 11:15 PM']This doesn't make the Catholic Church look good, and it portrays Cardinal George in a negative light, because you got people like Bill O'Reily who are portraying him as 'weak' and wondering why he isn't doing anything in regards to this situation. When you have a screaming priest on a pulpit, who is preaching a political message to a racist-congregation, with no threat of disciplinary action, it does a grave diservice to the image of the Church's authority and leadership in not only the media spotlight, but also to the Catholic faithful.[/quote]

Why again do we care what Bill O'Reilly says about us??? Last time I checked, Mr. O'Reilly wasn't a fan of our pope anyways, nor JPII. The only pundits who portray His Eminence as weak are the right-wingers who would hate (don't hate, appreciate) Fr. Pfleger even if he didn't act foolishly every once in awhile...

[Didymus]

[quote name='Saint_Gemma_Galgani' post='1550434' date='May 31 2008, 09:33 AM']I agree, but he should not allowed to preach, and he should have to live like an average Haitian (two meals per day, tiny house with a dirt floor and cardboard for a roof, and substandard medical care), and the money that would otherwise go to his salary should go to support one of Haiti's many orphanages.[/quote]

do you even know who Fr. Pfleger is outside of what you have heard in this thread??

[Didymus]

[quote name='dust (the ultra-handsome' post='1549269' date='May 30 2008, 10:05 AM']Why is he a Catholic priest?

The church needs to come down hard on this guy.[/quote]


[quote name='Deb' post='1549279' date='May 30 2008, 10:09 AM']I suppose once it gets drummed up all over the nation and in the news, they will. I hope.[/quote]

kinda like they came down hard on the pedophilia problem...

seriously though, what exactly does this mean?

[Saint_Gemma_Galgani]

Cardinal George should discipline Father Pfleger for what he did for three reasons:

1. Father Pfelger endorsed a candidate for office. This puts the church's tax deductible status at risk, and makes people in that congregation feel obligated to vote for that candidate.

2. Father Pfelger made fun of a candidate for office. This also puts the church's tax deductible status at risk, and makes people feel like they are obligated to not vote for that candidate.

3. The candidate that Father Pfelger endorsed has positions on important issues, such as abortion, that oppose those of the Church. This makes number one even worse.

[Saint_Gemma_Galgani]

[quote name='Didymus' post='1550440' date='May 31 2008, 07:34 AM']do you even know who Fr. Pfleger is outside of what you have heard in this thread??[/quote]

No, but from what I have heard about him, he should not be allowed to act as a priest.

EDIT: He might have an excuse for not knowing that what he did was wrong.

Edited May 31, 2008 by Saint_Gemma_Galgani

[Jaime]

I heard on Relevant Radio yesterday that he's been admonished by his bishop. He's not going to mention politics anymore and the matter is closed