Maybe it’s because he’s a Loyola University alum like me.

Or because he’s a South Sider, like I was when I grew up in Chicago.

Or it’s my impulse as a Catholic to stand ready to offer forgiveness, especially when the sinner asks for it.

But I can’t help but defend Father Michael Pfleger of St. Sabina parish in Chicago. He’s quite well known in Chicago after years of righteous crusades against tobacco, alcohol and gun companies and obnoxious media personalities like Howard Stern and Jerry Springer, but, speaking of obnoxious, he came to prominence with this unfortunate YouTube video.

Now Cardinal Francis George has asked him to take some time off and reflect about what he’s done. Father Mike, not surprisingly, doesn’t want to budge and resisted the imposed sabbatical.

I’ve met Father Mike when I was a young reporter years ago in Chicago. I have to admit I looked up to him. Even then I had to defend him among my co-workers who thought he was a show-boating ego maniac.

I got the impression then that they objected to him mainly because they didn’t understand Pfleger’s commitment to social justice ministry. I get that same impression from his critics today. Much of the criticism — at least the kind that isn’t juvenile and profane — seems misguided to me. They expect a preacher to be politically correct. But that’s now how it works in church, especially the Catholic church which is so committed to the social justice ministry. It’s been pointed out that if all you knew of Jesus was a YouTube video of him chasing the moneychangers out of the temple then you’d think he was a nutty loose canon. Of course, we know better.

We’re all sinners and we make mistakes. Cathleen Falsani, the Sun-Times’ excellent religion columnist, had an exclusive interview with Father Mike that eloquently shows the pain he’s felt ever since he surfaced as the latest religious lightning rod in the presidential race. Falsani gets it. But I think many other reporters appear clueless. Doesn’t surprise me. As I’ve said I think a lot of them are very secular.

But it’s especially disappointing to me whenever Christians are reluctant to forgive others, particularly when they beg for that pardon. For all those who still want to condemn the apologetic Father Mike, please remember what Jesus said as he died on the cross: “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”

Bookmark to: