Dear Patricia:

Father Pfleger has been in disputes with Cardinal George, Archbishop of Chicago. Back in 2003 Father Pfleger said of these disputes, "I can only assume the Cardinal sees my style of ministry to be something he doesn't agree with. In that sense, he sees me as a thorn. That's what I'm left to feel like. I don't revel in that. In fact, it's very difficult. It's a very difficult feeling [being] on the fringe, getting public reprimands, public criticisms. I don't enjoy that at all. [But] my focus right now is to try to continue building up the Church. A lot of what we do is [considered] out of the ordinary. That kind of puzzles me. It's not the Church I grew up in. The Church then was very involved in justice and civil rights issues."

Pope John Paul II remarked once that the Church is not a social service agency, but the Body of Christ whose primary goal is the salvation of souls. The Christian ethic includes issues of justice and civil rights, but only to the degree that is conforms to Christian teaching and worldview. Absent of that worldview "peace and justice" tends to be influenced by Marxism and socialism, which was one of the problems of the Liberation Theory that as been condemned by the Holy See.

While I do not know, Father Pfleger's comments about a church involved in "justice and civil rights issues" may refer to that condemned Liberation Theology. If that is what he means, then he is stepping outside the communion of the Church.

On June 3, 2008, Cardinal George asked Pfleger to take a disciplinary leave of absence as pastor of the St. Sabina parish. Cardinal George said in a statement, "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. 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." Father Pfleger resumed his parish duties on June 16, 2008.

It will be up to the Cardinal to decide if further disciplinary measures are warranted against Father Pfleger.

I personally knew a priest who is very similar to Father Pfleger. This priest was in similar trouble with his bishop. The Archbishop of a nearby diocese banned this priest from preaching in his diocese. The priest actually bragged to me that he had been banned by that diocese. Eventually, there was a sort of "mutual" decision between this priest and his bishop that he be laicized as he could not continue with his "activism" and be a priest at the same time.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary