Third accuser comes forward against Chicago priest
A third man has accused a Chicago priest famous for his activism of sexually abusing him decades ago.
An affidavit sent to church officials claims that Rev. Michael Pfleger, 71, grabbed the victim’s crotch in a bedroom at St. Sabina Church in the summer of 1979. The man said he pushed the priest’s hand away, angrily confronted him, left and cut off contact with Pfleger. He kept the incident a secret for several years before telling a handful of family and friends.
The man, who had been asleep, was 18 at the time but had known the priest for three years and considered him a mentor and friend, the affidavit says.
In January, a pair of brothers who are now in their 60s claimed that Pfleger sexually abused them in the 1970s when he was a seminarian at a Precious Blood Catholic Church, on the city’s West Side, and the boys were in the church choir. They allege abuse occurred at St. Sabina, too. The archdiocese is investigating and Pfleger is currently living away from his parish and not conducting any church-related activities.
The third accuser, a 59-year-old truck driver who does not live in Illinois, told the Chicago Tribune that he decided to come forward after reading about the two brothers’ claim and the backlash they have received from Pfleger’s congregation. The priest is known for his activism, leading protests against racism, violence and poverty. He also heads the largest Black Catholic parish in the city.
“[My friend] kept telling me, ‘You know, they’re not going to believe the victims because of who Mike is, and maybe if you talk to somebody and say what you know, it may help the victims with their credibility.’ It finally kind of started sinking in,” he told the Tribune. “I thought, ‘I have to say something.’”
Pfleger has repeatedly denied all the allegations and said the brothers are only seeking a financial settlement.
All of the allegations, Pfleger’s attorneys said in a statement, “are wholly inconsistent with Father Pfleger’s character and the recollections of the thousands of young men and women who have known Father Pfleger over the decades, including the accusers’ friends during the years that these alleged incidents purportedly occurred.”
The third man, whose identity is not being made public, said he is not seeking a financial settlement.
“Look, even though I was 18 at the time, the way he went about doing it, waiting until I was sleeping, that’s predatory,” the man said. “That’s wrong.”
With News Wire Services
