Oh, so Gentle.
Reminder to priests who are tempted to become media icons in Chicago: be sure when you do it, you take a hard turn to the political left. Take a look at the oh-so-gentle reproof from the archdiocese to Fr. Michael Pfleger, he of the Sta-Comb hairstyle, who engaged in a hate-whitey tirade in his so-called sermon at Trinity last week.
Parsing—you should excuse the word--the chancery’s statement:
“To put recent events in perspective, I have asked Father Michael Pfleger…”
ASKED, not ordered.
“…pastor of St. Sabina’s parish, to step back from his obligations there…”
POOR MAN HAS BEEN WORKING TOO HARD.
“…and take leave for a couple of weeks from his pastoral duties, effective today. Fr. Pfleger does not believe this to be the right step at this time.”
WHAT? HE’S BEING FORCED?
“…While respecting his disagreement…”
OH MY YES, RESPECT HIS DISAGREEMENT.
“…I have nevertheless asked him…”
NOT ORDERED. THAT WOULD BE UNFORGIVABLY RUDE.
“…to use this opportunity to reflect on his recent statements and actions in light of the Church’s regulations for all Catholic priests.”
JUST WHAT PFLEGER’S GOOD AT--DEEP MEDITATION AND DEEPLY HUMBLE PRAYER.
“I hope that this period will also be a time away from the public spotlight…”
HE DESERVES TIME FOR REHAB. AFTER ALL HE HAD A DOUBLE HERNIA OPERATION FROM ALL THAT LEATHER-LUNGED SHOUTING IN CHURCHES.
“…and for rest and attention to family concerns.”
EVEN HATE WHITEY BIGOTS NEED TO GET AWAY ONCE IN A WHILE.
“…I hope also that the life of St. Sabina’s parish may continue in uninterrupted fashion…”
DON’T WORRY. IT WILL. A RALLY WILL BE HELD EVERY NIGHT. THE SAME FAITHFUL CONGREGANTS SHAKING THEIR FISTS IN RAGE.
“…Fr. William Vanecko, pastor of St. Kilian’s parish, will be temporary administrator of St. Sabina’s and will assure the full complement of ministerial services during this period…”
FULL COMPLEMENT. RIOT GEAR, HELMETS, PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEM CHECKED TO LISTEN TO THE CONGREGANTS’ WORDS THAT COME FROM GOD.
“…I ask the members of St. Sabina’s parish to cooperate with him and to keep him and Fr. Pfleger in their prayers.”
OH YES, INDEEDY THEY WILL. JUST AS THEY DID LAST NIGHT WITH THE FIRST BRING-PFLEGER-BACK RALLY. VERY PRAYERFUL GROUP.
All in the Family.
I said yesterday: when Democrats get fed up and unity of the ticket is threatened, the Catholic archdiocese acts. And so it did by suspending for several weeks…not removing permanently…Fr. Michael Pfleger. And it was not by coincidence that the pastor who will supervise St. Sabina’s is Fr. William Vanecko, the pastor of St. Kilian’s, part of a family with marital ties to Mayor Daley. Daley’s sister Mary Carol, 69, is married to surgeon Robert Vanecko who works out of Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Their oldest son, Robert, 43, is an officer of Realty Partners, Inc. which invests $68 million in pension funds from city workers, CTA employees and public school teachers.
Number 2 son, Mark, 42, is a lobbyist and close to a developer as well as a stakeholder in Lalapooloza a traveling rock-and-roll theme park scheduled for Grant Park this summer. Number 3 son, Richard, 36, is a partner in Cardinal Growth Entertainment owned by Robert Bobb, a friend of the mayor; and number one daughter, Mary, 31, is a nurse at Northwestern Memorial hospital. Exactly where Fr. William comes in is hard to determine. Perhaps a reader can fill me in--but he’s tied in, no doubt about that—my guess he’s the son of a brother to Dr. Bob. A Daley in-law is on the scene to keep the collections in tow…and the politics, of course.
Well done, Jimmy.
Little Cathleen so…so…so—p----d!
As everything she writes is all about her, this is the way “Sun-Times” religion [sic] columnist Cathleen Falsani, a Wheaton college grad no less, started her story. “On Sunday morning, I was enjoying a brisk walk along the Hudson River in lower Manhattan and some quiet contemplation…”
THINKING OF REINHOLD NIEBUHR OBVIOUSLY.
“…when my cell phone rang. It was my editor.”
THAT WOULD BE THAT MATCHLESS BRIT ARBITER OF GOOD TASTE WHO PICKS GIRLY SHOTS FOR EVERY FRONT PAGE, MICHAEL COOKE.
“`Mike just called and he wants to talk but he’ll only talk to you’ he said.”
HOW TOUCHING. GREAT SPIRITUAL MINDS.
“Mike, as in the Rev. Michael Pfleger, the perpetually embattled pastor of St. Sabina Roman Catholic parish in Chicago who most recently has been under siege from comments he made about Hillary Clinton a week ago from the pulpit of Trinity United Church of Christ—aka Barack Obama’s former (as of Saturday) church.
YES…THAT MIKE, CATHLEEN.
“`Oh, really? Well, I don’t want to talk to him,’ I said. `I’m p----d at him…”
JUST LIKE YOUR BIG SISTER CAROL MARIN. HOW COULD MIKE DO THIS TO US FEMINIST LIBERAL PRO-ABORTS? JUST WHEN WE HAVE A CHANCE TO GET THE FIRST GUY WHO VOTED AGAINST THE BORN-ALIVE BILL THAT IS SUCH A THREAT TO OUR ABORTION RIGHTS!
“…How could he do this? He probably thinks I’m a sympathetic ear but I’m not. I pretty much want to slap him.’”
SUCH HIGH JOURNALISTIC RESTRAINT THESE FEMINISTS DISPLAY.
“`Just think about it,’ my editor said with a whiff of smugness…”
NOW THAT SHE MENTIONS IT, THERE IS AN UNDENIABLE WHIFF OF SOMETHING COMING FROM COOKE. SMUGNESS?
“…and call me back when you’ve changed your mind.”
DID SHE EVER!
So, moving right along, little Cathleen meets with Pfleger. Let’s skip through their teen banter particularly the cute stuff where he stumbles over Obama’s name because he has been forbidden to mention candidates in a partisan manner. Pfleger keeps stumbling and the scholarly Falsani makes a cogent literary allusion:
“`Jeez, it’s like he’s Voldemort in Harry Potter, the name we dare not speak’” Let’s skip all that.
How’s that for an intellectual?
Jump to the point where Pfleger interprets the Bible’s most dominant theme. Now remember, this is a Catholic priest, almost 60 years old, to a religion columnist for a major daily who has probed deeply the spiritual reflexes of the last Cubs manager.
What is the Bible’s most dominant theme? Here comes a learning moment.
Was the theme born with the Semites in Mespotamia about 2000 B.C. spread by word of mouth, passing through the Phoenicians and Hebrews who began using symbols with exclusive phonetic sound, moving through the alphabetic system spread from the Near East to Greece, from there to Rome and throughout the world but mainly in Europe and Africa—as far east as India? The thought that begun with Abraham arriving in Canaan in 1850 B.C., through the Exodus when Moses received the revelations on Sinai, the Torah (literally “The Law”), then to the 27 books of the New Testament? To the present day? The gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John? The epistles of Paul, Peter, James? .
NO, THE THEME IS WHITE RACISM, OF COURSE.
Stupid of me. Well do I remember reading that Abraham inveighed against white racism.
He tells Falsani once again to make it definite.
“The greatest sin against the Bible, about racism.”
Of course, she doesn’t correct him.
Obviously white racism, since there is no such thing as black racism.
OF COURSE! WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF IT BEFORE? WHITE RACISM CONDEMNED IN GENESIS, EXODUS,LEVITICUS, NUMBERS, DEUTERONOMY, JOSHUA, JUDGES, I & II SAMUEL, I & II KINGS, EZRA, NEHEMIAH, TOBIT JUDITH ESTHER, RUTH, PSALM…ALL THE WAY THROUGH TO MALACHI AND BARUCH!
White racism excoriated by Aaron, Abednego and Abithar,Abigail,Abihu, Abijah, Abimelech all the way through to Zippah, Zimri, Zipporah and Zophar!
It is the same vile evil that made Barack snitch on his white grandma. The lesson all of us will hear over and over again once he’s elected. That and Michelle telling us the only time she was ever proud of America was when voters supported her husband.
“This is a dangerous time in America,” says Pfleger, his eyes popping out like ping-pong balls, as effectively as they were in his sermon a week ago.
Falsani faithfully records his words as coming from a prophet. Unwashed, redneck middle America thinks he’s mad…not in the way Marin means, but mad as in demented.
But Falsani, not p----d off now keeps scribbling. It’s a message from a man of God.
“…the freest country in the world, where you have to whisper your thoughts.”
He’s won her back. She’s reconverted to Pflagerism.
One thing.
Anybody remember when this guy whispered anything?
It is almost embarrassing to read the bohemian Cathleen Falsani in the Chicago Sun Times. The fluffy accumulated lint that I remove from my dryer has more substance than most of the articles that this hippie chick submits for publication. Every time her column appears in print, I find myself thinking that somewhere there is a Starbuck's that is short one barista for its morning shift.
ReplyDeleteFather Bill Vanecko is a humble, honest, hard-working pastoral man.
ReplyDeleteFather Bill is the Anti-Phleger - he will shepherd his Parish(es) without serving himself.
He is a Saint. I am as jaded a cynic as it gets, mind you. Father Vanecko is what being Catholic Priest is all about.
I remember St. Sabina before it was scary - no big hands on the walls or anything.
ReplyDeleteI guess that makes me a Pre-Phlegerite Sabinite.
Did you note that most of Catherine's article was about Catherine?
ReplyDeleteAnd did she refer to the past three Cardinals as the "three men in red dresses"?
Without doubt, she has an abject, patent hatred of the Catholic church. Is this good in a religion editor let alone a human being?
Tom,
ReplyDeleteAs a protestant, I have wondered why Pfleger seems to be so independent of the RCC hierarchy. His style seems to be much more in line with that of a pastor of an independent church.
Why is it Tom, when you nick somebody off, they immediately pray for you and want to cure you of your pursuit of any of the 7 deadly sins?
ReplyDeleteMost of us just get cursed by our enemies, but you get your opponents prayers.
JBP
The evidence is everywhere, most Catholics in the USA are DEMOCRATS and are proud of it. The Church has fallen down on so many issues from Priestly deviancy to a tolerance of abortion. Look at so called "catholics" Daley, Palosi, Kennedy, and on. Look at the "catholic" cities like Boston, Chicago, LA, etc. They are about as far to the left as you can go. Why?
ReplyDeleteThe leftists have a firm control of the Catholic Universities and Seminaries. Vatican III opened the door to acceptable sin.
Just look at Depaul and other fallen Catholic institutions.
To these fallen Catholics, Tom you are as extreme as Pat Buchanan! Think about it!
It has gone too far to turn it back. It is just as bad in the Reformed Jewish Religion which Michael Medved recently said was the Democratic Party with Holidays, Methodists, Episcopalians, and the United Church of Christ, etc.
Not only are these people fallen and EVIL, the are damn arrogant about it too! The problem is that too many have followed them.
Did you catch today's commentary. I'm not sure which is more pathetic, Ms. Falsani's ignorance of one of the world's major religions, while functioning as a religion writer, or the comments of Ms. Lymore, the associate ministor of St. Sabina (she's studying for a doctorate at CTU). See the comments section for an excellent response by yins.
ReplyDeleteJill, I understand your discouragement, but there are some good Catholic universities out there still... Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ave Maria University, Christendom College, University of Dallas, and others.
ReplyDeleteBy "good" I mean they embrace fully the principles of "Ex Corde Ecclesiae" and the pursuit of actual theological truth as opposed to dissent for its own sake.
This may sound surprising to you but I would also argue that the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a great place to get a truly Catholic education -- more so than many nominally "Catholic" universities -- because of its excellent Newman Center, which is undergoing major expansion and has been under the firm guidance of the well-regarded Diocese of Peoria since its inception. Courses in Catholic doctrine and history are taught there that are also accepted for university credit.
Also, just the other day I heard a priest from the Chicago Archdiocese preach the homily for one of the daily Masses on EWTN. I apologize for not being able to remember his name, but he coordinates Eucharistic adoration programs for the archdiocese. So you know there's at least one good priest out there!
Finally... are you aware that the notoriously corrupt state of Louisana recently elected a pro-life Catholic convert, Bobby Jindal, as governor, and he has made some incredibly sweeping ethics reforms there? He's being mentioned as a possible veep candidate for McCain but I hope they leave him where he is and let him do the job he was elected to do. I figure, if he can get elected there perhaps there is yet hope for Illinois.