For the second time in less than two years, minister/activist the Rev. Michael Pfleger, 73, is stepping away from his ministry while under investigation for a decades-old sexual abuse allegation, The Chicago Tribune reported.
In the latest allegation, a man in his late 40s has filed a claim with the archdiocese alleging the long-tenured activist South Side priest sexually abused him at St. Sabina Church in the late 1980s. The boy was a minor, between the ages 13 and 17 at the time.
Pfleger, who is not facing criminal charges, has stepped aside from his day-to-day church duties. Cardinal Blase Cupich also is requiring him to live away from the Auburn Gresham parish while the civil matter is investigated by the archdiocese's independent review board.
In a statement on the St. Sabina website, Pfleger said, in part, "Let me be clear—I am completely innocent of this accusation. While I am confident that the new allegation will also be determined to be unfounded, this process is so unfair and painful to me and to the community I serve."
In early 2021, two brothers (currently in their 60s and residing in Texas) filed similar claims against Pfleger. The priest returned to St. Sabina that summer after the review panel found "insufficient reason to suspect" that he was guilty of the allegations.
