The Rev. Michael Pfleger said Tuesday in a meeting with parishioners that if he is not reinstated as pastor of St. Sabina Catholic Church by this weekend, he will begin to preach at other churches.
In his first in-depth public remarks about his suspension by Cardinal Francis George, Pfleger told a group of about 150 people that he has received numerous offers to preach from churches throughout the city and the country and needs to get back to preaching.
He did not specify at what churches he might speak or their denominations.
Still, Pfleger insisted that the only way he will leave St. Sabina is if he is thrown out or if he believes God wants him to go.
“This has been very painful,” Pfleger said, choking back tears.
Jesus told the Apostles “He who hears you hears me.” If Fr. Pfleger wants to know God’s will for him he only has to follow his bishop. The road to sanctity follows the road of obedience to your bishop and obedience does not mean you follow only what prudential decisions you agree with. The wide path is the way of ego of making yourself preeminent over proper authority. A parish priest who is disobedient to his bishop is disobedient to God.
But for Fr. Pfleger and his Me-gisterium it is “He who hears me is better off” and his preaching must go on. I guess preaching on obedience will not be one of the topics covered.
So how long before he becomes an Episcopalian? Though I pray he repents and becomes submissive to his bishop and to Christ.
Pfleger spent about 90 minutes talking to the group and answering questions about his suspension and the future of the church.
He insisted that George never ordered him to become president of nearby Leo High School. Pfleger also said he did not disobey the cardinal by saying he was not qualified for such an assignment.
Pfleger added that the media received the letter from George suspending him before he did and that he never threatened to leave the Catholic Church if he were removed.
In fact, Pfleger told radio show hosts Tavis Smiley and Cornel West in April that he would look outside the Catholic Church if offered no other choice but to work at the Catholic high school.
While he has consulted with lawyers who told him that George had no legal right to suspend him, he had no intention of suing the Catholic Church, Pfleger said.
But Pfleger said one of his lawyers would send a letter to George saying he violated canonical law by suspending him.
Yes when you have a conflict with your bishop run to the lawyers. Surely that is what St. Padre Pio did when he had his priestly faculties suspended. St. Padre Pio had false charges ascribed to him, yet in obedience he was totally faithful and never complained. In contrast are the actions of Fr. Pfleger.
His answers are just so Clintonian.
[Source]
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First a bishop and now this one; how they need prayers that they may see the light of Truth!
And here’s another example of obedience he could take to heart:
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St. Philip [Neri] himself was suspended from preaching. He submitted at once and forbade any action being taken in his favour. At length Paul IV, having made due investigation, sent for him and bade him go on with his good work.
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http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11272a.htm
How thankful I am for our good and holy priests!
Can we expect Fr. Pfleger to be honest with others when he is not prepared to be honest with himself? He is treating His Mother, the Church, like dung beneath his feet, like something that makes him smell bad. Well, the smell ain’t coming from the Church. It’s the smell of pride, and it’s Fr. Pfleger and him alone!
“Me-gisterium” I love that.
What a child … sigh
If Fr. Pfleger had no intentions of listening to his bishop, then perhaps he should have considered taking another career path
Poor Fr. Pfleger, wasn’t he listening at ordination about obedience?
I am sick to death of priests and bishops taking their personal issues with the Church to the media. As the Pope said recently, we will be a smaller more faithful Church. So, to you Fr. Pfleger I say, “go to another church, we don’t need your whining.”