Chicago Archdiocese Priest Faces Two Child Abuse Allegations

Father Michael Pfleger, a Chicago Archdiocese priest, is facing two allegations of child sexual abuse. The archdiocese asked Pfleger to step down from public ministry after the first allegation. Pfleger will step away from his parish while the allegation is being investigated.

Father Michael Pfleger Accused Of Sexually Abusing Two Minors

In January 2021, two survivors of clergy abuse named Michael Pfleger as their abuser. Allegedly, both incidents of abuse occurred more than 40 years ago.

First Abuse Allegation Against Pfleger

In early January, Rev. Michael Pfleger was accused of sexual abuse against a minor. The survivor claims the abuse happened more than 40 years ago. The Chicago Archdiocese asked Pfleger to step down from his position with Saint Sabina parish while an internal investigation is conducted. 

The archdiocese and the state’s attorney’s office did not disclose any details of the allegation. The state’s attorney’s office will handle an external investigation with the help of the Chicago Police Department. 

Archdiocese Addressed First Allegation In Letter

Details of the allegation have not been disclosed. However, the archdiocese did address the situation with the Saint Sabina parish community. On January 5, 2021, the Archdiocese of Chicago distributed a letter from Cardinal Blase J. Cupich about the allegations.

Cardinal Cupich stated Pfleger will live away from the parish during the investigations. Cardinal Cupich said the archdiocese reported the allegation to:

• The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS)
• The Cook County State’s Attorney

Church officials also contacted Pfleger’s accuser to offer Victim Assistance Ministry services.

Second Abuse Allegation Against Pfleger

On January 24, 2021, the legal team representing the Archdiocese of Chicago received word of an additional allegation against Pfleger. The abuse allegedly occurred more than 45 years ago. The Associated Press reported the two plaintiffs who accused Pfleger of abuse are brothers. However, neither brother was aware of the other’s abuse at the hands of Pfleger.

Pfleger and his legal team continue to deny the allegations.

Illinois Department Of Children And Family Services Finds No Credible Evidence

In February 2021, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) sent a letter to Pfleger with the results of the agency’s investigation. According to the letter, the agency found no credible evidence to support the allegations against Pfleger. 

However, the letter went on to say, “This does not necessarily mean that an incident did not occur. An incident may have occurred but the evidence did not rise to the level required to indicate for abuse or neglect as dictated by state law and DCFS administrative rule.”

Pfleger’s attorney claims this letter proves Pfleger is not a threat to children and should be allowed to return to his ministry work. The archdiocese disagrees with this assumption. 

The archdiocese will continue its investigation into the abuse allegations. In the meantime, Pfleger will not be allowed back in his ministry role until the investigation is over.

Chicago Archdiocese Reinstates Pfleger

On May 24, 2021, the Archdiocese of Chicago announced it would reinstate Father Michael Pfleger. The reinstatement announcement came after the internal investigation found “insufficient reason” to believe Pfleger is guilty of the allegations. 

On June 5, 2021, Pfleger was reinstated as pastor of St. Sabina parish. 

There is still an external investigation looking into the allegations against Pfleger. Currently, Pfleger faces two allegations of child sexual abuse and one allegation of sexual abuse against a man who was 18 at the time of the abuse. 

A spokesperson for the Chicago Police Department said of the external investigation, “It is still an open and active investigation.”

Victims Commonly Come Forward Years After Abuse

Many victims will not speak about childhood sex abuse until they reach adulthood. It is not uncommon for child sex abuse victims to come forward years or decades after they were abused.

Larry Antonsen, a leader of the Chicago chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said most people don’t realize how common it is for victims to wait decades to come forward. Antonsen was sexually abused by a religious order priest when he was in high school.

“A lot of people are saying, ‘It was 40 years ago’ and, ‘Why did they wait so long?’ There’s a lot of people that have gone to their graves because they couldn’t deal with the guilt and the shame,” Antonsen explained.

Recognizing this pattern, many states have revised the statutes of limitations on child sexual abuse cases. These revised statutes have given survivors more time to seek justice.

Illinois has no civil or criminal statutes of limitations for sexual abuse crimes against children.