Overview
- St. Sabina leaders and supporters held a news conference on Friday to demand that Father Michael Pfleger be returned to the parish after the archdiocese asked him to step aside while a new allegation is reviewed.
- The Archdiocese of Chicago said its Office for Child Abuse Investigations and the Independent Review Board will examine the claim and that Cardinal Blase Cupich will await the board’s recommendation before deciding Pfleger’s status.
- Pfleger denies the allegation, calling it "an absolute lie," and says the accusation is tied to his public activism and long record of controversial advocacy.
- Church leaders demanded specific reforms to the archdiocese’s process, asking for clearer timelines, more transparency about how investigations proceed, and rules that separate cases with ongoing risk from older, historical claims.
- Pfleger has faced prior investigations in 2021 and 2022 that did not lead to sustained findings, and the next steps to watch are the Independent Review Board’s recommendation and whether the archdiocese involves law enforcement.