Prominent Chicago priest suspended after 40-year-old child sex abuse allegation reported

(The AEGIS Alliance) – A well-known Chicago priest who’s also an activist has stepped away from his ministry after someone told the Archdiocese of Chicago that he sexually abused them over 40 years ago.

The 71-year-old Reverend Michael Pfleger leads the St. Sabina Catholic Church’s congregation on Chicago’s South Side and has led marches all through the area protesting against racism, gun violence, and other social issues.

Pfleger’s alleged abuse victim stated Pfleger sexually abused them over 40 years in the past while they were still a minor, according to a letter from the Chicago archbishop Cardinal Blase Cupich addressed to the St. Sabina parishioners. The alleged abuse victim has not yet been identified at this time, and no further information about the allegation has been made public.

Cupich stated the archdiocese will look into the reported incident, and Pfleger will remain away from the church while there is an ongoing investigation. In addition, the archdiocese alerted the attorney’s office for Cook County and Illinois’ department of child services.

“I am devastated, hurt and yes, angry, but I am first a person of Faith, I Trust God,” Pfleger said in a Facebook post. He stated the archdiocese requested that he is not to communicate publicly throughout the investigation, and he shared a supportive letter from community leaders at St. Sabina.

Pfleger is caucasian and has led St. Sabina’s majority-Black congregation since 1981. Pfleger has been the keynote speaker twice at annual events that honor Martin Luther King Jr. at King’s former Atlanta church, and he gave a speech at Coretta Scott King’s funeral in 2006 after King’s family requested it.

Kyle James Lee – The AEGIS Alliance – This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.