Statements

Dear Parishioners of Nativity of Our Lord and St. Gabriel Parish, I write to you with some difficult news. I have asked Father William McFarlane, former pastor of Nativity of Our Lord and St. Gabriel Parish, to step aside from ministry following receipt by the Archdiocese of an allegation of sexual abuse that occurred in 1997, before Father McFarlane entered the seminary.

After consultation with the Archdiocese of Chicago Presbyteral Council, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, issued a decree stating that St. Adalbert Church, located at 1650 W. 17th Street in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago, is relegated to profane but not sordid use, effective July 15, 2019. This means that beginning July 15, 2019 the building will no longer be a sacred space and may not be used for worship. The final Mass at St. Adalbert Church will be celebrated on July 14, 2019. This news was shared with parishioners during Masses on June 23, 2019 at St. Adalbert.

Dear Parishioners of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, In January, I informed you of the accusation against your pastor, Father Patrick Lee, and that, in keeping with our procedures, he was asked to step aside from his pastoral duties until a thorough investigation and process could be completed. He has fully cooperated with civil authorities and the Archdiocese of Chicago during these months.

The passage of Senate Bill 25, eliminating even the minimal limitations on abortions under previous law marks a sad moment in our history as a State. We have worked to make the case for a consistent approach to human dignity in Illinois and will continue to do so even as elected officials single out unborn persons for particular disregard. It remains our hope that Illinois will eventually distinguish itself as a safe place that welcomes not only those seeking a new life or second chance, but also the most vulnerable among us who deserve a chance at life.

The Illinois Constitution, like that of the United States of America on which it was modeled, promises much. It declares that among the inalienable rights of persons is the right to life and that no person, under its promised equal protection, shall be deprived of this right without due process. By passing Senate Bill 25, members of the Illinois House of Representatives have stripped all unborn human beings, even those viable outside the womb, of their right to be recognized as persons.

On May 15th, Cardinal Blase Cupich hosted a conversation with representatives of Jewish community organizations with which the Archdiocese of Chicago has formal relationships. The Cardinal invited these representatives so that he might hear directly how the Jewish community is experiencing the public re-emergence of antisemitism and the associated increase in violence. He asked the group what we could do together to address antisemitism and other forms of speech which incite hatred.

Without consulting me, Fr. Michael Pfleger invited Minister Louis Farrakhan to speak at St. Sabina Church in response to Facebook’s decision to ban him from its platforms. Minister Farrakhan could have taken the opportunity to deliver a unifying message of God’s love for all his children. Instead, he repeatedly smeared the Jewish people, using a combination of thinly veiled discriminatory rhetoric and outright slander. He suggested that “Talmudic thought” sanctioned pedophilia and misogyny. He referred to Jewish people as “satanic,” asserting that he was sent by God to separate the “good Jews” from the “satanic Jews.”

The event involving Minister Louis Farrakhan at St. Sabina Parish is not sponsored by the Archdiocese of Chicago. Cardinal Cupich was not consulted before Fr. Pfleger announced the event.

For the second time in a week we received news of an act of senseless violence against people at prayer. This time, the victims were our Jewish brothers and sisters, gathered to mark the deliverance of their people from bondage.

With profound sorrow, we offer our prayers to the Christian community of Sri Lanka, and all those devastated by today’s horrific acts of violence, killings carried out while Christians offered their own prayers of gratitude on this great feast of hope, Easter Sunday.