Posted on May 25, 2021 at 10:48 am ET
SHUT DOWN
Michael Pfleger speaks for the first time during a press conference following his reinstatement as Senior Pastor of St. Sabina Church by the Archdiocese of Chicago on Monday, May 24, 2021. (Photo: Shafkat Anowar, AP)
CHICAGO – Nationally known activist for the Priest of Chicago Rev. Michael Pfleger will be reinstated as leader of his ward after an investigation that found “insufficient reason to suspect” that he has sexually abused children, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese said Chicago on Monday with.
The archdiocese’s decision comes more than four months after asking nurses to step aside and telling his parish that the Child Abuse Investigation and Review Bureau received allegations that the priest had a minor more than 40 years ago sexually abused. Three prosecutors eventually came forward, one said he was 18 years old when male nurses sexually assaulted him.
The white carer had heavy support from leaders and parishioners in St. Sabina, a black church in the largely black, low-income Auburn Gresham neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago. Parishioners cheered when he arrived outside of St. Sabina for a press conference Monday afternoon, and Pfleger jokingly said he couldn’t believe how many people left work to be there.
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Michael Pfleger stands among supporters before a press conference outside St. Sabina Church after the Archdiocese of Chicago announced that Pfleger will return to his role as senior pastor at Auburn Gresham Church on Monday afternoon, May 24, 2021 . (Photo: Ashlee Rezin Garcia, AP)
He thanked church leaders and parishioners for supporting him during “the most difficult and challenging time” that made him frustrated, angry, depressed, and discouraged.
“I am a man of faith, but I am also a person who hurts and bleeds,” he said. “I’ve gotten discouraged at times. I wanted to give up … but I love this church too much to go away. “
Eugene Hollander, a prosecutor’s attorney, said his clients were discouraged and were considering filing a lawsuit.
“They had not one, not two, but three victims of alleged abuse,” he said. “You are of course very, very disappointed with the results.”
In a letter to the parish, Cardinal Blase Cupich said he had accepted the finding by the Office of Investigations and Reviews of Child Abuse and the Archdiocese’s Independent Review Board.
Two brothers, both black and now in their sixties, said in January that male nurses cared for them as children and mistreated them in parsonages in the Chicago area. They accused the priest of taking advantage of two black boys who trusted him.
A third man later accused Nurse of packing his crotch over his clothes in 1979. The 59-year-old man said he was 18 at the time and pretended to be asleep.
None of the men have been publicly identified.
While the third man, who lives outside of Illinois, was unwilling to tell his story, the brothers felt compelled to speak up, Hollander said.
“In order for them to go forward and complete themselves, make themselves whole, they had to tell their stories,” he said.
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services completed its own review in February and concluded that there was no credible evidence of child abuse or caregiver neglect. A spokesman said the agency cannot investigate allegations of abuse by an adult victim but is focusing on whether children are currently at risk.
Prosecutor’s attorneys and nurses have previously confirmed a police investigation into the abuse allegations. Illinois has no statute of limitations on filing serious sex crime charges.
A Chicago Police Department spokesman said the investigation was still ongoing. A representative for Cook County Attorney General Kim Foxx said the police failed to provide the office with any information to verify or determine whether criminal charges are appropriate.
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Michael Pfleger hugs activist Ja’Mal Green after a press conference outside St. Sabina Church after the Archdiocese of Chicago announced that Pfleger would return to his role as senior pastor at the Auburn Gresham on Monday afternoon, May 24, 2021. Church will return. (Photo: Ashlee Rezin Garcia, AP)
Pfleger was ordained a priest in 1975 and assigned to the St. Sabina Church. Six years later he became a pastor. He was credited with resurrecting the community. Referred to as “Father Mike” by parishioners, he is known nationwide for his dramatic approach to activism targeting chronic problems in the city, including defacing alcohol and cigarette billboards and paying prostitutes to seek advice.
Annoyed by the removal of their pastor, parishioners had tied archdiocese phone lines, held rallies, mailed letters, and threatened to withhold $ 100,000 in monthly fees.
Pfleger told the crowd at Monday’s press conference that he would be encouraged to return to work stronger and “more combative than ever in my life”, with an emphasis on violence and inequality in their neighborhood and Chicago.
“False allegations were made against me … and I was immediately rejected,” said Pfleger. “You are guilty until proven innocent. And it was hell. “
Cupich said Nurse’s reinstatement was effective on the first weekend in June.
“I asked Father Pfleger to take the next two weeks to prepare mentally and emotionally for the return and found that these months have taken a great toll on him,” said Cupich. “He agreed to do this.”
The archdiocese’s first statement on the reinstatement of nurses said the review found “no reason” to suspect nurses of abuse before sending a second statement changing the phrase to “insufficient reason”.
A spokeswoman said the Independent Review Board’s letter of its findings used the term “insufficient reason” and updated the public statement accordingly.
Associate press reporter Sophia Tareen contributed to this story.
Michael Pfleger speaks for the first time during a press conference following his reinstatement by the Archdiocese of Chicago on Monday, May 24, 2021, in front of St. Sabina’s Catholic Church in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood of Chicago. (Photo: Shafkat Anowar, AP)
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