St. Sabina's Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Chicago has had, among those who have spoken from the pulpit, the pro-abortion Democratic presidential candidate, Rev. Al Sharpton. On Feb. 9, 2003 Sharpton gave a homily at the Church as part of the "celebration of black history month" events at the parish. Did anybody know that he was running for president?
Apparently the pastor, Father Michael Pfleger, did not. He recently told the Chicago Sun-Times in a letter to the editor, "St. Sabina does not even allow candidates running for office to speak at our worship services."
We remember well the Sharpton incident as we had called on Cardinal Francis George to take appropriate action so that Sharpton would be banned. He was not. Still, why did Father Pfleger forget?
Well, perhaps because he does not acknowledge the very fact that he is pastor of a Catholic parish, since the web site says: "St. Sabina is a Word-based, Bible teaching church that believes in the power of praise and worship." It describes the parish as a "faith community," not a Catholic parish. Let us pray for a cure to Father Pfleger's amnesia.
