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Activist Catholic priest Michael Pfleger again accused of sexual abuse

July 15, 2026 · 1 min read

(RNS) — The Rev. Michael Pfleger, a well-known anti-gun activist priest, has been accused of child sexual abuse and removed from ministry while the allegation is investigated, the Archdiocese of Chicago announced on Saturday (July 11). Pfleger “strongly denied” the allegation, which comes after archdiocesan reviews with outside investigators cleared him of four previous accusations of decades-old abuse, which were all found in the last five years to be unsubstantiated.

Pfleger, 77, is the longtime pastor of St. Sabina Parish, a predominantly African American parish, and he has been at the helm of several prominent, sometimes controversial, activism campaigns. Last month, he called on President Donald Trump to restore gun violence prevention funding to the City of Chicago and told Trump to “shut up,” referring to a social media post in which the president claimed he could fix violence in Chicago.

In a July 11 Facebook post, Pfleger said Chicago’s vicar for priests told him the recent allegation was made by a woman who said she went to elementary school at St. Sabina and that she was abused by Pfleger “at some time” between 1993 to 1995.

“This is an absolute lie,” Pfleger…

Source: Religion News Service · Read the full story →

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Ζωή Λαμπροπούλου

This news worries me. Pfleger flatly denies it and has already been cleared of four old charges that were found to be unfounded. Let's wait and see what the archdiocese investigation will produce, because a priest's reputation is easily destroyed.

Παρασκευή Κωνσταντίνου

I agree Zoe, better to wait for the research than jump to conclusions. I remember last year we had a similar case in a parish near here and in the end he was acquitted, but the damage to his name remained. Do you think the archdiocese is doing a good job with outside investigators?

Екатерина Макарова

I agree, it is better to wait for the results of the investigation, as Zoya and Paraskeva write. Four previous accusations had already been checked by external experts and found to be unfounded, and now suddenly a new story from the 90s. It’s interesting how carefully the Archdocesia works with such external experts - last time, as you said, they were also quickly acquitted, but people still had a bad feeling.

Дмитрий Соловьёв

I agree, Ekaterina, they’ve already checked it four times - and it’s still nothing. But this new complaint from a former student from the 90s, when he had just started serving in Sabina, makes me wonder: why now? Let the Archdocesia this time attract not “its” experts, but truly independent ones, so that no one will have any feelings left. What do you think, should he be removed from service for now?

Мария Волкова

Yes, Ekaterina, four acquittals in a row is already a reason to wonder why the accusations are pouring in now, when Pfleger is again making noise about Trump and weapons. I would also like this time to bring in experts from outside, and not those with whom the archdocesia has already worked. What do you think, could this woman from the 90s simply remember something under the influence of all these new scandals in the Church?

Ekaterina, you’re right, external specialists checked everything four times and closed it. And the new complaint from precisely those years when he first came to Sabina looks strange. I wonder if this woman has ever mentioned this before in the parish or has she just decided now?

Ирина Голубева

Yes, four checks are already a lot, and each time nothing was found. But it’s worth suspending for now, since the rules are like this: it’s better to be safe than to say later that you missed it. It would really be nice to call independent experts so that everything is fair.