The Chicago Sun-Times reports:
Cardinal Francis George said Friday he deeply regrets the Rev. Michael Pfleger's videotaped "personal attack" on Hillary Clinton -- and has received assurances from the firebrand priest that he won't campaign for or publicly mention any candidate by name.
George, the head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, issued a written statement taking the St. Sabina pastor to task for mocking Clinton during a Sunday address at Trinity United Church of Christ -- home church of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
"The Catholic Church does not endorse political candidates," George said. "Consequently, while a priest must speak to political issues that are also moral, he may not endorse candidates nor engage in partisan campaigning.
"Racial issues are both political and moral and are also highly charged," he said.
"Words can be differently interpreted, but Father Pfleger's remarks about Senator Clinton are both partisan and amount to a personal attack. I regret that deeply.
"To avoid months of turmoil in the church, Fr. Pfleger has promised me that he will not enter into campaigning, will not publicly mention any candidate by name and will abide by the discipline common to all Catholic priests."
The cardinal's spokeswoman, Colleen Dolan, said via e-mail that the cardinal and Pfleger "have been in discussions on his future for a number of months," but "nothing final has been announced." She also said the cardinal won't be speaking about Pfleger beyond his written statement.
Pfleger's longtime friend, Sen. Barack Obama, already has reprimanded the Catholic priest for his rant, saying Thursday, "I am deeply disappointed in Father Pfleger's divisive, backward-looking rhetoric, which doesn't reflect the country I see or the desire of people across America to come together in common cause.''
Next door to Pfleger's church Friday, St. Sabina Academy principal Helen Dumas expressed unwavering support for the beleaguered priest. She said school board members had done likewise earlier in the day. "I know what Father Pfleger is about," said Dumas, who had not seen the controversial video footage. "I know what work he does in the community, I know he has a heart for God and a heart for God's people. And I just support him in whatever he does."
"Father Pfleger's work goes way beyond this faith community and way beyond this particular neighborhood," she added.
In his address at Trinity, Pfleger began by talking about the need to expose ''white entitlement and supremacy wherever it raises its head," according to a video clip on YouTube. Pfleger speaks of Clinton's tearing up just before the New Hampshire primary.
''I really don't believe it was put on,'' Pfleger said. ''I really believe that she just always thought, 'This is mine! I'm Bill's wife, I'm white, and this is mine! I just gotta get up and step into the plate.' And then out of nowhere came, 'Hey, I'm Barack Obama,' and she said, 'Oh, damn! Where did you come from? I'm white! I'm entitled! There's a black man stealing my show!' ''
Mimicking Clinton mopping tears, Pfleger added, "She wasn't the only one crying, there was a whole lot of white people crying.''
Pfleger already has apologized for his searing sermonizing, saying, ''I regret the words I chose on Sunday. These words are inconsistent with Senator Obama's life and message, and I am deeply sorry if they offended Senator Clinton or anyone else who saw them.''
