Friday, June 06, 2008
MORE LAITY ON THE WARPATH
While Cardinal Burke deals with Bozek and his supporters, Cardinal George is dealing with his own renegade parish:
A couple scheduled to be married Saturday at St. Sabina Catholic Church and the 51 graduating kindergartners at St. Sabina Academy called on Cardinal Francis George Wednesday to "reinstate" Rev. Michael Pfleger in time for the celebrations this weekend.
Church leaders said they would meet with the cardinal to discuss the hiatus he forced on their pastor.
"I do not believe Cardinal George fully considered the impact of his decision," said Amanda Breedlove, a prospective bride who for months has envisioned Pfleger presiding at her wedding. "It's a feeling of being robbed. One day your family member is there. One day he's not. A temporary administrator is not our pastor."...
The cardinal repeatedly has allowed Pfleger to stay as pastor of St. Sabina, where he's served for more than 30 years, long beyond church policies that limit pastors to two 6-year terms in a parish.
Deacon Michael Threet said Wednesday that his No. 1 concern is Pfleger's absence from the building and fear that he will not return.
"There will no future as we know it at St. Sabina," Threet said. "We believe God called Michael Pfleger to this church to be an earthly shepherd at this time. . . . Whether it was appropriate or not, the punishment was extreme and [George is] hurting the faith community."
One Polish. One Black. Both suffering from the same erroneous notion that Catholicism is democratic, and that factionalism plays a part in the faith.
