Obama's other spiritual mentor and the Catholic Church
- From: jose <josefsoplar@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 9 Apr 2008 07:53:44 -0700 (PDT)
Obama's other spiritual mentor and the Catholic Church
By Rosslyn Smith
Another far left clergyman, Father Michael Pfleger, has joined his
Southside Chicago friend Rev. Jeremiah Wright in the media spotlight,
thanks to the presidential campaign of Barack Obama. The national
political media first noticed F. Pfleger when he spoke at a raucous
welcome home for Rev. Wright, follow his recent media firestorm.
Christopher Hitchens uncovered a years old newspaper article in which
the candidate named "three spiritual mentors or counselors: Jeremiah
Wright, James Meeks, and Father Michael Pfleger. Dave Kopel describes
some of the more notable left wing activism of the Catholic priest.
The media food chain has found a new colorful, ranting man of the
cloth in the orbit of the candidate peddling change and hope.
Every Catholic in Chicago is well acquainted with Father Pfleger. For
25 years he has made local headlines for both his political activities
and his clashes with the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. From asking
parishioners to fill the collection plate with losing lottery tickets
in order to highlight how state Lotto officials targeted the
economically disadvantaged to encouraging the adoption of children out
of the foster system by legally adopting a child himself, Pfleger
knows what makes a good story. I've been dreading the kind of
showdown he recently had with Bill O'Reilly and the national attention
it has brought to his parish. That's because I long feared that the
Archdiocese of Chicago was in the process of creating a monster.
No one has mentioned this astounding fact. Father Pfleger has been at
St. Sabina's since 1981. The standard length of service for a pastor
in Chicago is six years. Exceptions may be made, especially if a
priest is nearing retirement or if special conditions are involved.
This policy of regular rotation of priests among parishes is meant to
avoid precisely what has happened in Pfleger's case: A cult of
personality developing around a single priest in what is supposed to
be a universal church. Such intense attachments are discouraged
because the priests at their center often tend to succumb to the
impulse to flexibly interpret their vows of obedience to Church
doctrine and the authority of their bishops. .
How did this situation develop? Pfleger is a master at manipulating a
media that loves to cover his many political antics. When it first
came time for Pfleger to be transferred to a new parish, the story hit
the Chicago media about a group of black parishioners who held their
white pastor in such high esteem they didn't know if they could
continue their membership in the Catholic Church after he got
transferred. With racial tensions in Chicago high because of the
reaction of a great many whites to the election of Harold Washington
as mayor, this was a true feel good story. Rather than look like
bureaucrats blindly enforcing a rule, the Archdiocese waived policy
and allowed Pfleger another term at St. Sabina's.
It is possible that one factor effecting this decision was the acute
embarrassment Catholic officials felt over how many of those publicly
raising a fuss over Harold Washington as mayor were of ethnic
backgrounds known for staunch Catholicism. When six year passed, the
policy was waived again. And then again. Each time the decision came
up there was noise that St. Sabina's congregation would defect en
masse should Pfleger be transferred elsewhere.
In November, 2001, Cardinal George was reported as absolutely refusing
to consider allowing Pfleger to remain at St. Sabina's for a fourth
term as pastor. Pfleger and his parishioners talked of picketing the
Archbishop's residence, located in a prime Chicago residential
neighborhood. They even threatened schism if yet another exception was
not made. Ministers from various denominations on Chicago's South
Side spoke of petitioning the Vatican to intercede. Thus it is that
another six year's later, Pfleger is still at St. Sabina's. And
Cardinal George has an even bigger headache to deal with now that
Pfleger has become a national news story.
I don't see a good end to this story. Pfleger's affinity to Louis
Farrakhan is offensive to Catholics nationwide and certainly some of
what comes from the pulpit at St. Sabina departs from Church
doctrine. But if Cardinal George tries to discipline Pfleger it will
certainly be cast as an attack on his black parishioners. I suspect
Cardinal George is not at all happy with his predecessors who thought
that waiving the rotation policy was a good way to promote harmonious
racial relations.
.
- Prev by Date: Rockefeller
- Next by Date: The slick trick behind global frauding
- Previous by thread: Rockefeller
- Next by thread: The slick trick behind global frauding
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
