In a statement released by the Archdiocese of Chicago and reported on by the Chicago Sun-Times, Cardinal Francis George has asked the Rev. Michael Pfleger to “take leave for a couple of weeks from his pastoral duties.” The statement also says that Father Pfleger “does not believe this to be the right step at this time.” George added, “While respecting his disagreement, I have nevertheless asked him to use this opportunity to reflect on his recent statements and actions in the light of the Church’s regulations for all Catholic priests.”

After months of controversy surrounding his choice of church, Barack Obama announced today that he’s resigned his and his family’s membership at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. “This is not a decision I come to lightly … and it is one I make with some sadness,” he said at a news conference, noting that he and his wife, Michelle, had been discussing the issue since the Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s controversial appearance at the National Press Club last month in Washington, D.C., but added, “I’m not denouncing the church and I’m not interested in people who want me to denounce the church.”

Where does he go from here? “I suspect we’ll find another church home for our family,” Obama said. Let’s pray he finds a God-centered, Bible-believing, Gospel-preaching, politics-avoiding place for him and his family to worship. Any of you know of a good Chicagoland church home you could recommend for the Obamas? I assume Michael Pfleger’s Saint Sabina Roman Catholic Church isn’t an option.

Words coming from the pulpit of Trinity United Church of Christ continue to dog Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. This time, however, it wasn’t the preaching of Jeremiah Wright or his successor, Otis Moss; it was the Rev. Michael Pfleger, a white pastor of Chicago’s predominantly black Saint Sabina Roman Catholic Church.

Pfleger, a well-known activist in the city, chose to use his time at Trinity Sunday morning to berate and belittle Obama’s opponent in the Democratic race, Hillary Clinton (see video here): “She just always thought that, ‘This is mine. I’m Bill’s wife. I’m white.’ … And then, out of nowhere, came ‘Hey, I’m Barack Obama.’ And she said, (more…)