(OSV News) — The Archdiocese of Chicago said it remains “committed” to “the same thorough and impartial” investigative process for abuse allegations, after the faithful at one parish called for an “immediate and comprehensive reform” of that protocol when their pastor was placed on leave.
“Only by doing this can we be assured of fairness to all concerned,” the archdiocese said in a July 17 statement to OSV News.
More than 40 members of the Faith Community of St. Sabina signed an open letter to the archdiocese, which was unveiled at a July 17 press conference outside the church.
The letter was prompted by the administrative removal of St. Sabina senior pastor Father Michael Pfleger, a Chicago priest known for his longtime social justice ministry, following an abuse allegation for an incident said to have taken place some three decades ago.
Father Pfleger ‘strongly’ denies allegation
In a July 11 message, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago informed St. Sabina that Father Pfleger had been accused of the sexual abuse of a minor — a claim the priest has “strongly denied,” said the cardinal.
“The abuse is alleged to have occurred at St. Sabina more than 30 years ago,” said Cardinal Cupich. “In keeping with our child protection policies, I have asked Father Pfleger to step aside from ministry and live away from the parish while the allegation is investigated.”
The cardinal, citing the archdiocese’s child protection policies, said that “the allegation was reported to law enforcement authorities and the person making the allegation has been offered the services of our Victim Assistance Ministry.”
In a July 11 statement sent to multiple media outlets, including OSV News, Father Pfleger denounced the allegations as “an absolute lie.”
Call from archdiocese’s vicar for priests
The priest said he had been apprised of the allegations during a July 9 phone call from the archdiocese’s vicar for priests. The female claimant said “she went to school at St. Sabina” and asserted the abuse had occurred “at some time between 1993-1995,” said Father Pfleger.
“I have no memory of this girl nor do countless others who have been at St. Sabina for those years,” he said, adding that “the facts will show that this is just an attempt by someone who is either being unfairly manipulated by others to hurt my reputation, or who is simply trying to make money by making false accusations.”
Father Pfleger had been cleared of previous accusations of sexual abuse in 2021 and 2022, following independent investigations.
In his statement, the priest — an outspoken activist against racism, gun violence and other social injustices — said he had been “threatened, slandered, and attacked” throughout the “51 years” of his ministry, and particularly over his opposition to Trump administration policies.
Pastor one of the signatories on letter
Father Thulani D. Magwaza will continue as pastor, Cardinal Cupich’s letter noted. The priest first named co-pastor st St. Sabina in 2012 by Chicago Cardinal E. George, was among the signatories on the St. Sabina parishioners’ letter.
While stressing they “fully recognize and support” Church efforts to take seriously and investigate abuse claims, signatories lamented “the devastating impact of a process that has repeatedly demonstrated itself to be fundamentally unjust to those who are accused.”
“For our pastor, this has meant repeated public scrutiny, emotional anguish, and damage to his ministry and reputation before any conclusion has been reached,” they said. “For our congregation, it has meant uncertainty, grief, disruption, and the emotional burden of repeatedly watching our spiritual leader removed from active ministry while investigations unfold.”
Understanding the parish’s distress
Cardinal Cupich had acknowledged the parishioners’ feelings in his July 11 message, saying, “As your parish has been through this before, I can well understand your distress in learning of this development.”
The cardinal explained that the archdiocese does not “presume the truth or falsity of an allegation until the process is complete and our Independent Review Board has made a recommendation that I accept.”
But in their letter, the St. Sabina parishioners urged a process that “preserves the dignity and rights of both the accuser and the accused,” while providing “greater transparency regarding investigative procedures and timelines.”
They also stressed the need to ensure “investigations are conducted as expeditiously as possible without compromising integrity,” with “meaningful review by independent voices and experts.”
In placing priests on investigative leave, said the signatories, “a balance needs to exist.”
“We know this balancing needs to be weighted in favor of protecting children, but destroying a priest’s reputation and devastating his congregation requires more consideration by the Archdiocese of the impact on an unjustly accused priest,” they said.
Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X @GinaJesseReina.
