Cardinal George to honor race-baiting Father Michael Pfleger (with lifetime achievement award)

[peary]

Peary, you’re even more over-the-top here than the Phleger reactionists! You seriously think you’re qualified to comment on the motivations of most catholics??

Lord have mercy.

Do you sit in the pews with the same people in your neighborhood? And know what a lot of them do? I do. That is why I said what I did.

As I said earlier, everybody’s bigotted. It comes with being a sinful human. Thanks for supplying more evidence.

When you lose an argument, you resort to name-calling, as you did here, because you haven’t a clue as to what I was saying with regard to Phleger. It shows your bias, not mine.

Dawn, it IS hard to understand why too many high profile catholics with seemingly sincere hearts simply look the other way when it comes to abortion. That too goes back to sinful human nature. It’s far easier to get worked up about the injustices that slap you in the face every day than those that can be conveniently hidden away. Humans are very good at purposely not noticing things. Us ‘nice’ suburban folks are guilty of that as well if we do nothing to work against the injustice of racism. In other words, its always better to check the mirror first before declaring the kettle black. (no pun intended!)

It’s difficult to see racism as a problem when you live in a lilly-white suburb. The majority of Catholics in my pathetic parish of about 700 families claim they are pro-choice and see nothing wrong with it, see nothing wrong with gay marriage, accept divorce and many wish that the Church would endorse it, and use birth control with wild abandon. Not to mention that their kids are sexting to each other, having premarital sex, using condoms and birth control pills (some parents have even *given *these to their daughters!), etc. What does the priest do? Remains silent and his sermons are all about God’s love and how important it is to ‘feel’ good as Christians. What ****. Like the Church in Revelation, “thou art neither hot nor cold, and I vomit thee out of My Mouth” says the Lord.

Bigotted? Hardly! It’s apparent you have no clue what is going on right beneath your nose.

 

[canadianguy1143]

Save your breath.

1. This thread is not about Farrakhan.

Actually Farrakhan is related to this thread as Pfleger chooses to associate with him as I have proven.

1. I never said he was not an anti-Semite.

Oh really. I asked if we could agree that Farrakhan is an Anti-Semite and you replied:

Actually, no.

 

[Beau_Ouiville]

Oh really. I asked if we could agree that Farrakhan is an Anti-Semite and you replied:

You forgot you added this?

"If so, then in order to support the Black Community we must be Anti-Semites? "

The answer is still “No”.

 

[DawnInTexas]

Well, the president is not rabidly pro-abortion. You can see that from his recent executive order healthcare.

I don’t know if the good father endorsed Obama or not, but I know that the cardinal met with the president-elect before Obama left for the DC inauguration.

All you folks who are expressing great umbrage at this honoring of Father Pfleger just need to exhale. This is like the case of the protesters outside the cathedral – more was made of the incident by posters on this forum than by Chicago Catholics or the Chicago archdiocese newspaper.

You tell them, Beau! He’s not rabid-Obama would like to cut down on the number…but continue to allow it…

You know, those “punishments” he wouldn’t want either of his daughters to have…you know, grandchildren? The unwanted kind?

According to God: Thou Shalt Not Kill.
Not sometimes. Not anytime. The Church is clear.

So is Obama.

1 abortion—affects each person in the world. All of us! When we die and leave this world-it will be revealed, and we will have the knowledge.

1 abortion is too many.

God Bless.
+Peace In Christ.
Love, Dawn

 

[JaMc]

Well, the president is not rabidly pro-abortion. You can see that from his recent executive order healthcare.

I believe the executive order only applies to public, i.e., taxpayer funds. What about funding from the premiums which go to the insurance we’ll all have to have to buy under the new law? The rejection of the Mexico City Policy, not to mention his egregious opposition to the Born Alive Infant Act, should say it all. The executive order was little more than a sham.

I don’t know if the good father endorsed Obama or not, but I know that the cardinal met with the president-elect before Obama left for the DC inauguration.

The [in]famous clip of Fr. Pfleger from the pulpit of Jeremiah Wright’s church was precisely an express endorsement of Obama’s candidacy for president (for that matter, Rev. Wright freely admits that he is a proponent of Liberation Theology. The fact that Fr. Pfleger spoke at his church is another can of worms in and of itself…).

I’m not saying Fr. Pfleger should be defrocked, though I do feel he deserved more than a 2-week suspension for his activities. I might even be able to respect Cardinal George’s decision not to take further disciplinary action against the priest, as its his Diocese and his decision to make. However, I certainly don’t believe Fr. Pfleger should be rewarded.

 

[canadianguy1143]

You forgot you added this?

"If so, then in order to support the Black Community we must be Anti-Semites? "

The answer is still “No”.

I didn’t need to add it. It doesn’t change about how you contradicted yourself earlier.

 

[Eric_Hilbert]

Remain on topic please.

 

[DawnInTexas]

As long as there are priests like Phleger in the Church, priests who are not afraid to confront evil wherever it is, and who work for social justice and to alleviate the sufferings of those in their own backyard, I have no problem remaining in the Catholic Church. Most Catholics just want ‘churchy stuff’ and go to church on Sunday to feel good about themselves, not to get up off their behinds and actually DO something and actively put into practice the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. For them, these types of Catholics have already received their ‘reward’. They shouldn’t expect anything when they die.

Yeah? Well, Phleger ought to confront his friend Obama regarding abortion.
Abortion is the biggest evil confronting we in our Country today.
Social Justice doesn’t matter if you’re not alive.

50 Million plus “choices” since 1973 is about to bring God’s Justice down upon our Country.

The Birth Pangs have begun, I believe.
earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_all.html

Wake Up, America!
youtube.com/watch?v=pTHmn13v7Ts
Wake up! Time is short.

Only God can judge one’s heart. No 2 of us are the same, nor given the same opportunities or situations. Many of us do things privately. We do not want to receive our reward in this life, but the next.

I wonder what you would think of me, if for instance, you sat behind me week after week at Mass?

I have a sister who wouldn’t let me go to Church with her once, when I was visiting with our baby daughter years ago. I wasn’t dressed properly-all I had with me was tennis shoes. I missed a Holy Communion with Our Lord because of her Pride. (When they returned home, I had left).

What I care about is what God thinks. You can point to that speck in my eye-but are you noticing the plank in your own?

I cannot remember right off Mother Angelica’s quote…But when we get to Heaven, there will be 3 surprises. Those we condemned and find there. Something else. And, then ourselves (that we actually made it). I’ll chalk this up to my chemo brain…

Soften your heart. Put your focus on Jesus. Especially today.
…and, Pray the Rosary every day.

God Bless.
+Dominus Vobiscum.
Love, Dawn

 

[TurboVW]

Pfleger is a joke - he’s threatened to leave the Catholic church many times and has been slapped on the wrist by my Archdiocese many more times over the past 35 years.

The guy is no better than the store-front preachers that take advantage of their flock. He wields his followers to get his way in Chicago, organizing them to counter-protest anything that displeases him, even trivial matters. In theory, his ideas are meant well, even though they resemble things we’d see in the 60’s. However, in practice, Pfleger doesn’t conduct himself like a true freedom fighter. He’s just one of many thorns in the side of the Chicago Archdiocese.

 

[MarcoPolo]

How do you know what? The cardinal told you he was chagrined?

Actually, he was ordered to take two weeks off for being involved in politics. Was he ever convicted of criminal destruction of property? Do you know what the billboards said?

Do you know how notorious the gun shop is and what the priest was talking about?

The Cardinal explicitly expressed his displeasure with Father Pfleger’s invitation of Al Sharpton. The Cardinal, in spite of his displeasure, said it would be: “would be a futile gesture and a waste of effort.”

After Father Pfleger said he would “snuff out” the gun shop guy, Cardinal George said: “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 says that all the people who misinterpreted him are the ones in error----not him and his reckless, inciteful words.

Regarding the billboards, they were alcohol or tobacco billboards. He climbed ladders with colleagues and defaced the billboards with red paint. That’s not in question, whether or not a jury decided to acquit him. He wasn’t “convicted” but he fully admitted that he destroyed property that didn’t belong to him. One of the jurors considered Father Pfleger’s action a “moral statement.” Pfleger afterward promised not to deface any more billboards. So if you can find a Chicago jury sympathetic to your crime, everything is cool.

In his public support of Barack Obama during the 2008 campaign, Father Pfleger said the following while at Reverend Wright’s church: * “We must be honest enough to expose white entitlement and supremacy wherever it raises its head. Reverend Moss, when Hillary was crying, and people said that was put on, I really don’t believe it was put on. I really believe that she just always thought, 'This is mine. I’m Bill’s wife. I’m white. And this is mine. I just got to get up and step into the plate. And 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.” *

That’s one of the more racist comments I’ve heard anyone make publicly in the last 3 years, and Cardinal George rightly suspended him for those comments.

So basically, Father Pfleger’s supporters believe his crimes and immorality are ok as long as they’re done in the name of a cause they support. If he was to vandalize an advertisement of Obama condemning Obama’s stance on abortion or socialism, those same supporters would not consider his actions proper.

 

[MarcoPolo]

Those who defend this Priest remind me of those (within the Catholic Faith) who defend United Way.

United Way does some good in communities.

UW will also pay for your abortion. This one fact alone—we are not allowed to contribute therefore.

Supporting Abortion negates all the other “good.” Trumps it. Outlaws it. Call it what you want.

The Bishops were clear in their directives before this last Election.
This Priest defied the directives and supported the pro-Abortion Candidate. In public! Country-Wide, we saw it.

God Bless.
+Peace Be With You.
Love, Dawn

Your point is cut and dry, Dawn. He defied the USCCB as well as morality.

 

[catharina]

I wish more of the naysayers here knew more about Father Pfleger. Particularly, they need to know the context of his famous speech, his work in the community and what he has accomplished.

Then maybe they could have credible comments.

I have problems with some of the acts of the priest, too, but at least I know what I am talking about, From the comments I have seen people make, it seems that few folks are that familiar with him.

But, nevertheless, they rate the cardinal’s action.

Agree.

The few times that Fr. Pfleger was asked to bring it down a notch, he did so.
He has never defied Church authority and that alone is worthy of applause.
He chose a hard line of work in the priesthood (pastoring) and he has never wavered.

Good for the Cardinal.

 

[NewEnglandPriest]

Ah Father Pfleger… one guy I wish would take off the collar. I’ve live in the Chicago area all my life (25) and he is one priest that I do not like.

Well, being 25 isn’t much of a lifetime. Give it another 25 before saying “all my life.” And secondly, in life everyone doesn’t always like everyone else.

He constantly bashes anyone who is for the 2nd amendment.

Gee, imagine why someone who lives in a gang infested area might not like guns…

He acts as if poverty is the greatest atrocity in the world.

Outside of activity that directly kills human life, poverty is indeed on of the greatest atrocities in the world.

He says crazy things, especially when he get’s a chance to be on TV.

We all say crazy things from time to time.

 

[NewEnglandPriest]

We all need to be honest. I’ve been reading these boards long enough to know that conservatives are going to overlook the sins of conservatives and liberals are going to overlook the sins of liberals. Its just the way it is around here.

Plenty of conservatives had said controversial things about blacks or Jews only to be defended to the hilt by other conservatives. And plenty of liberals have said controversial things about whites or Christians only to be defended to hilt by other liberals.

Its quite the merry-go-round we’ve got going here. Instead of nit picking any thing anyone ever said or did, let’s just be honest and say we don’t like their politics or viewpoints. Because if they shared your politics/viewpoints you’d defend for similiar statements/actions.

 

[KateD]

Excusing his behavior because he happens to do some good things is ridiculous. And the poster who noted that he hasn’t been moved from his parish after many more years than are normally allowed is quite right. Apparently this man can do almost whatever he wants (the Cardinal really had very little choice after Pfleger’s outrageous rant about Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama; the phones were ringing off the hook at the offices downtown) and the Archdiocese simply looks the other way. He can deface property, scream racist rants, threaten others, etc. all because some good work has been done at his parish. If you think that his threatening a gun shop owner is going to bring down the rate of gun crime, think again. I wish he would make good on his threat to leave the Church. I can’t tell you how often a non-Catholic has asked me why this man is allowed to behave in this way.

 

[Corki]

He has never defied Church authority and that alone is worthy of applause.

That’s not exactly accurate.

When he ended his third, six-year term at St. Sabina’s he was supposed to be transferred. Cardinal George said that Fr. Plfeger would not be offiered a fouth term. He very publically stated he would not accept another assignment. In fact, he used some very vulgar language that I can’t repeat here on CAF to refer to the Church authorities. That is defying Church authority and even a violation of his priestly promise to obey his ordinary.

He has invited pro-abortion politicians to speak at St. Sabina’s, even during Mass, in spite of a diocisan policy that prohibits such. That’s defying Church authority.

 

[TurboVW]

We all need to be honest. I’ve been reading these boards long enough to know that conservatives are going to overlook the sins of conservatives and liberals are going to overlook the sins of liberals. Its just the way it is around here.

Plenty of conservatives had said controversial things about blacks or Jews only to be defended to the hilt by other conservatives. And plenty of liberals have said controversial things about whites or Christians only to be defended to hilt by other liberals.

Its quite the merry-go-round we’ve got going here. Instead of nit picking any thing anyone ever said or did, let’s just be honest and say we don’t like their politics or viewpoints. Because if they shared your politics/viewpoints you’d defend for similiar statements/actions.

This isn’t the the beaten path of liberals vs conservatives. It’s about Fr. Pfleger - he doesn’t care for anyone’s piety, or if you’re liberal or conservative. He just cares if you’re on his side or not, and that’s not always the side of the Catholic Church.

 

[DawnInTexas]

We all need to be honest. I’ve been reading these boards long enough to know that conservatives are going to overlook the sins of conservatives and liberals are going to overlook the sins of liberals. Its just the way it is around here.

Plenty of conservatives had said controversial things about blacks or Jews only to be defended to the hilt by other conservatives. And plenty of liberals have said controversial things about whites or Christians only to be defended to hilt by other liberals.

Its quite the merry-go-round we’ve got going here. Instead of nit picking any thing anyone ever said or did, let’s just be honest and say we don’t like their politics or viewpoints. Because if they shared your politics/viewpoints you’d defend for similiar statements/actions.

Lol! You’re funny.

God Bless.
+Peace In Christ.
Love, Dawn

 

[MarcoPolo]

Its quite the merry-go-round we’ve got going here. Instead of nit picking any thing anyone ever said or did, let’s just be honest and say we don’t like their politics or viewpoints. Because if they shared your politics/viewpoints you’d defend for similiar statements/actions.

I agree to an extent but you presume no one here is honest. I know for a fact that a number of pro-lifers have condemned more aggressive tactics by “extremist” pro-lifers. I’m pretty sure those same people would condemn vandalism by pro-lifers even if they agree with the other’s view on that matter.

At any rate, this thread is about Father Pfleger.

 

[manualman]

[Peary said: “It’s difficult to see racism as a problem when you live in a lilly-white suburb. The majority of Catholics in my pathetic parish of about 700 families claim they are pro-choice and see nothing wrong with it, see nothing wrong with gay marriage, accept divorce and many wish that the Church would endorse it, and use birth control with wild abandon. Not to mention that their kids are sexting to each other, having premarital sex, using condoms and birth control pills (some parents have even *given these to their daughters!), etc. What does the priest do? Remains silent and his sermons are all about God’s love and how important it is to ‘feel’ good as Christians. What ****. Like the Church in Revelation, “thou art neither hot nor cold, and I vomit thee out of My Mouth” says the Lord.”]

Peary,
I agree fully with your first sentence. I pretty much said as much in an earlier post. It’s that human nature problem again. Racism is no big deal to those who’ve never suffered from it. We all tend to think that sins committed by others are far worse than sins we commit ourselves. Then you go on to prove that with the rest of the quote.
Jesus also had some harsh words for thePharisee who sat in the temple and thanked God that he wasn’t pathetic like all the rest of the filthy sinners gathered there…

Fr. Phleger’s biggest mistake is the same one most of us make. He appears to have ranked the importance of moral issues based on how they make him feel, rather than the principles of the faith and the proportionate impact of each. God help us all discern your will.

NewEnglandPries makes a good point that I’ve been trying to take to heart lately. It’s REALLY important that we not conflate our faith with our political connections. Faith comes first. REAL faith and its principles. When there arises a conflict between the two, faith wins. Whether the issue is abortion or immigration. Faith comes first. Politics a distant second. It’s awfully easy to mix the two. 9 years ago, doing so suckered me into supporting starting an unjust war. I’m determined not to make that mistake again.