WASHINGTON (AP) — The Roman Catholic priest who mocked Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton at Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama's former church says he regrets that his passionate delivery may have detracted from his message. But he stands by the message.
In a guest sermon at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago last month, the Rev. Michael Pfleger pretended he was Clinton crying over "a black man stealing my show."
"I was giving a talk about race. And is entitlement one of the things about race that I believe in? Is an unequal playing field one of the things I believe in? Yes, so I don't apologize for being passionate, I don't apologize for being free," Pfleger told ABC's "Good Morning America" in an interview aired Thursday.
"I apologize when my passion or my freeness and my flawness of character get in the way of the content, which is much more important to me — that people hear the message. And when I am in the way of the message then I'm not only apologetic, but I have to change."
Pfleger, who was asked by church officials to temporarily step down from his pastoral duties at St. Sabina Church in Chicago after videos of his sermon caused in uproar, said he understands that some people might be offended by his comments on entitlements based on race.
"I understand it. Like I said, I apologize for my mannerism of what I said — I don't apologize about (that), I think entitlement is a reality in this society," Pfleger said.
Pfleger's sermon, along with past controversial statements by Trinity's former longtime pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, led Obama to leave Trinity.
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James Reynolds,
Sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. While I have grave concerns regarding Mr. Obama and his long association with individuals such a Mr. Wright and his willingness to throw his grandmother under the bus in order to excuse a fanatical political supporter I was actually referencing the priests admission of his "careless words" It is hard for me to understand why the church does not require him to go into a long period of secluded prayer and reflection.
Viking is right on! Obama cpontinues to distort the truth of God's word and actions and some day if he really is a christian he will answer for it.
steiner YOUR A MORON
And Obama is still a muslim...
until he explains why he is a Christian and not a muslim...why Jesus and not allah, why Jesus and not muhammed...when the rest of his family is muslim and backs him all the way...
and when the new york times...a newspaper that ought to be defending freedom of speech when and where freedom of speech is being attacked in the U.N. by no other than those nations that systematically persecute nonmuslims...the OIC, who are pursuing an agenda in the U.N. to stifle any speech on sharia or so called extremist muslims...
and the new york times does nothing to warn Americans of these events that are pivotal in western societies survival, but instead publishes articles that militate against Macleans(magazine) fight in Canadas kangaroo courts that are being used by muslims to stifle free speech there....
and the NYT publishes articles questioning why people think obama is a muslim when he said he isnt...and yet provides nothing more as a reason other than obama says so....
compels me to think that the NYT is interested in supporting the likes of the OIC, who wish to persecute those that do not accept islam to be peaceful and point out that sharia law oppresses women...and humanity... but withing a few minutes time are quashed because the U.N. is submitting to the demands of the O.I.C.
Why doesnt the NYT report on that, so that americans may know who their true enemies are?
Matthew
12:34-37 - "You serpent's brood, how can you say anything good out of your evil hearts? For a man's words depend on what fills his heart. A good man gives out good - from the goodness stored in his heart; a bad man gives out evil - from his store of evil. I tell you that men will have to answer at the day of judgment for every careless word they utter - for it is your words that will acquit you, and your words that will condemn you."