St. Sabina’s Fr. Michael Pfleger reinstated after child abuse investigation

CHICAGO — The Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago reinstated influential Faith Community of St. Sabina leader Fr. Michael Pfleger on Saturday following an investigation into abuse allegations against the priest.

Pfleger was forced away from the church in mid-October after a man in his 40s alleged the priest sexually abused him in the late 1980s, but an investigation by the diocese determined that the allegations were unfounded.

“The Review Board has concluded that there is no reason to suspect Father Pfleger is guilty of these allegations, which I fully accept,” Bishop Joseph Perry said in a letter sent to the St. Sabina community that was shared with the media.

“I want to recognize that these months have taken a great toll on Fr. Mike and all of you, and I am committed to do everything possible to see that his good name be restored,” Perry continued.

The man who filed the allegations claimed the long-tenured priest abused him during choir practices at the church on two occasions. The man was between 13 and 17, his attorney, Eugene Hollander, said.

Pfleger is well known for his work as an anti-violence activist on Chicago’s South Side. The St. Sabina pastor regularly offers cash rewards for information that might help solve crimes and has run gun buyback events, work programs for young people and protests against gun stores.

The allegations marked the second time in two years that such claims have temporarily pulled him away from his church. In January 2021, two adult brothers then living in Texas claimed that the priest sexually abused them in the early 1970s. The archdiocese announced that the priest agreed to step away from his ministry the day after the two men filed their complaint.

Five months later, Pfleger was reinstated after an archdiocese panel found “insufficient reason to suspect” he was guilty of the sexual abuse allegations.

Saturday evening, Pfleger shared the news of his reinstatement to his large following on Facebook. He posted the Bishop’s letter along with a short note.

“Like MJ SAID “I’M BACK,” he wrote.

Many St. Sabina parishioners have stood behind the priest in his absence. Church members shared their support for Pfleger at mass the day after his Oct. 15 departure was announced, and anti-gun violence activists and parishioners rallied for an expedited investigation in November.

Pfleger and representatives of St. Sabina did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday evening.