It's time for change - at St. Sabina

Sun-Times religion columnist Cathleen Falsani writes today about the temporary leave that Father Pfleger has been forced to take. She reports that the congregation of St. Sabina is not happy with the move, while “the archdiocese has been inundated with complaints” by those who thought Pfleger’s guest sermon at Trinity Unity was "racist or sexist or both.”

I don’t envy the position in which Cardinal George finds himself, but I also find it difficult to muster a great deal of sympathy for him and the archdiocese. After all, Pfleger should have been moved from St. Sabina a long, long time ago – just as every other priest is moved from parish to parish every 10 years or so. I don’t know what the “official” reason is for the periodic shuffle, but it definitely serves as a good reminder to priests that they are supposed to be humble servants of Christ and his Church, and that the message of the Gospel is more important than the messenger delivering it– something that Pfleger, who only agreed to continue "serving" the Church as long as he got to stay at St. Sabina, seems to have forgotten.

Falsani writes that it is “painfully ironic” that on “the day that Obama became the presumptive Democratic nominee for president -- the first African American to do so in the history of our nation -- Pfleger, a man who has spent his life fighting for that kind of racial justice, is looking for a place to live.” It may be. But what strikes me more is the painful hypocrisy: a man who regularly joins in calls for boycotts and firings as just retribution against others who make racially insensitive remarks now finds even a temporary leave for baselessly accusing millions of white Americans of bigotry to be some sort of bewildering over-reaction .

If Cardinal George decides to make Pfleger’s leave from St. Sabina permanent, he will almost certainly be accused of playing politics, or over-reacting to racial controversy. But the truth is Pfleger's permanent removal wouldn’t mark the start of the Chicago Archdiocese playing games of race and politics with his assignment – it would be the end.