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Michael Louis Pfleger (born May 22, 1949) is an American Catholic Church priest and social activist located in Chicago. Since 1981, he has been pastor of St. Sabina Catholic Church, a Black parish in Chicago's Auburn Gresham neighborhood.
He has been the subject of a number of controversies, mostly involving his public comments and activities related to his pro-Black stance on social issues. He was suspended on occasion for such incidents.
Pfleger has also been the subject of multiple sex abuse allegations, including three in 2021 and one in 2022. All were found to be unsubstantiated by the Archdiocese of Chicago.
In September 1997, the Chicago City Council voted 44–1 to eliminate tobacco and alcohol billboards from selected areas in Chicago. Pfleger described the decision as "a tremendous victory for the children of Chicago, for our neighborhoods, especially black and Hispanic neighborhoods."Fran Spielman. "Billboard blitz in Chicago." Chicago-Sun Times. September 11, 1997.
Pfleger later targeted radio personality Howard Stern in response to Stern's late 2005 advertising campaign to promote his move to satellite radio. Pfleger specifically objected to a pair of Stern's billboards in Chicago that featured an image of the black power salute with the caption "Let freedom ring. And let it be rung by a stripper", a parody of a line in Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech. Pfleger told the media, "As we prepare to celebrate Dr. King's birthday, we will not tolerate this kind of disrespect. We should not have to tolerate it in our communities." Viacom, the owner of the billboards, eventually removed the signs due to the protests.
Pfleger received criticism from Stern's fans, who questioned Pfleger's commitment to freedom of speech. Jesse Jackson came to Pfleger's defense, saying, "There are two freedoms at issue here. They have the right to advertise, and we have the right to resist it in our community. Sometimes freedom is challenged by a community's tolerance level. I think Father Pfleger is a man of great dignity and has an acute social conscience. And he deserves our support."
The Chicago Archdiocese largely distanced itself from Pfleger's activities, to which he responded, "How is what I'm doing not part of the gospel? The church leaders talk about Evangelism. Well, if this isn't evangelization, I don't know what is." Saint Sabina raised several thousand dollars for his program, attracting many donors from outside their parish. St. Sabina has used similar methods to reach out to drug dealers.Dirk Johnson. "A Priest Pays Prostitutes for Time, Offers Them an Escape", The New York Times, April 12, 2000. pg. A18
In a statement on Saint Sabina's website, Pfleger wrote, "Dr. Wright is one of the great Bible scholars of our country and the best of preachers in the prophetic tradition. Dr. Wright has been shamefully demonized by 30 second sound bites that have tried to re-define him into someone other than who he is." Statement by Rev. Michael L. Pfleger on Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright's Visit to the Church on March 28, 2008; retrieved April 2, 2008.
Of his disagreements with George, Pfleger once said, "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."Ron Csillag. "Chicago's renegade priest – Father Michael Pfleger tackles booze, drugs and violence in an effort to clean up the South Side". Toronto Star, November 8, 2003. pg. L16.
In May 2007, during a Rainbow/PUSH Coalition protest outside Chuck's Gun Shop & Range, Pfleger was accused of threatening the life of the owner, John Riggio. The Illinois State Rifle Association released a tape where Pfleger was heard telling the assembled crowd, "He's the owner of Chuck's. John Riggio. R-i-g-g-i-o. We're going to find you and snuff you out… You know you're going to hide like a rat. You're going to hide but like a rat we're going to catch you and pull you out." Pfleger later claimed his use of the phrase "snuff you out" had been misinterpreted.
Cardinal George rebuked Pfleger, saying, "Publicly delivering a threat against anyone's life betrays the civil order and is morally outrageous, especially if this threat came from a priest." Pfleger claimed that he did not intend to use the word "snuff" as a slang term for "kill", but rather as a substitute for "pull", as he used later in his statement.Susan Hogan. "Cardinal rebukes Pfleger for 'threat'", Chicago Sun-Times, June 8, 2007.
Pfleger said, "I really believe that she just always thought, 'This is mine. I'm Bill Clinton wife. I'm white, and this is mine. I just gotta get up and step into the plate.' Then out of nowhere came, 'Hey, I'm Barack Obama,' and she said, 'Oh, damn! Where did you come from? I'm white! I'm entitled! There's a black man stealing my show!'" He then pretended to wipe tears from his face, a reference to Clinton's emotional speech before the New Hampshire primary, and added, "She wasn't the only one crying. There was a whole lot of white people crying."
After hearing about Pfleger's remarks, Obama said he was "deeply disappointed in Pfleger's divisive, backward-looking rhetoric". Pfleger later released a statement through St. Sabina that read, "I regret the words I chose Sunday. These words are inconsistent with Sen. Obama's life and message, and I am deeply sorry if they offended Sen. Clinton or anyone else who saw them."John McCormick and Manya A. Brachear. Another video from Obama's church , Chicago Tribune. May 29, 2008; retrieved May 29, 2008.
On May 31, 2008, Obama resigned his membership in Trinity Church, saying that his campaign had caused the church to receive excessive media attention. Obama drops church membership in Chicago. FoxNews.com. May 31, 2008; retrieved June 1, 2008. On June 1, 2008, Pfleger released a longer apology to the St. Sabina parish regarding the incident and its aftermath. Apology to church family ; retrieved June 2, 2008.
On June 3, 2008, Cardinal George asked Pfleger to take a disciplinary leave of absence from St. Sabina. 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." "Cardinal Tells Priest Who Mocked Clinton to Take a Leave and 'Reflect'", The New York Times, June 4, 2008; retrieved June 4, 2008. Pfleger resumed his parish duties on June 16, 2008.Margaret Ramirez. "Rev. Michael Pfleger returns to St. Sabina", Chicago Tribune, June 16, 2008.
Cardinal George had suggested Pfleger take the position of president at Chicago's Leo Catholic High School, but Pfleger said he would consider leaving the Catholic Church if forced to leave his parish. Cardinal George replied, in part, "If that is truly your attitude, you have already left the Catholic Church." Letter from Francis Cardinal George, Archbishop of Chicago, to Father Pfleger , archchicago.org, April 27, 2011. Cardinal George lifted the suspension on May 20, 2011. Cardinal restores Pfleger to St. Sabina, chicagotribune.com; accessed December 3, 2017.
Cardinal Blase Cupich thereafter apologized, reprimanded Pfleger for inviting Farrakhan to speak at the church, and asked Pfleger to visit the local Holocaust Museum to reflect.
On March 3, 2021, a third person alleged that Pfleger provided him with alcohol and marijuana before sexually assaulting him. Unlike the other accusers, the victim was an 18-year-old man.
On May 24, 2021, following an investigation, the Archdiocese of Chicago said Pfleger would be reinstated as pastor. Cardinal Cupich wrote: "The review board has concluded that there is insufficient reason to suspect Father Pfleger is guilty of these allegations."
On October 15, 2022, another abuse allegation was reported and Pfleger again stepped away from ministry pending an investigation. The individual making the accusation stated that the abuse took place in the church rectory during practices of the Soul Children of Chicago Choir. In a letter to his parishioners, Pfleger denied the allegations and noted that they were brought by the same attorney that represented his previous alleged abuse victims. He also published a letter from an attorney representing the Soul Children of Chicago Choir, which supported Pfleger and noted that choir practices "always had chaperones and parent attendants watching over the children."
On December 10, 2022, the archdiocese announced that its investigation was complete and the charges could not be substantiated, and Pfleger was reinstated as pastor at St. Sabina.
In 1992, Pfleger adopted another son, Beronti, who attended the University of Central Florida before his sudden death on May 20, 2012. Pfleger says his son had been coping with an illness the past few years.
In 1997, Pfleger became the foster father to Jarvis Franklin, who was killed by stray gunfire on May 30, 1998.
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