Third Accuser against Fr. Michael Pfleger Comes Forward

Yet another victim has come forward to allege that he was the victim of inappropriate sexual contact at the hands of a popular Chicago priest. We hope that this latest accusation will cause parishioners at the cleric’s church to stop their intimidation campaign against the survivors who have come forward and to refrain from trying to influence or expedite the investigation into the alleged abuse.

One of the main reasons that the first two accusers against Fr. Michael Pfleger were dismissed and disbelieved is because they had filed a lawsuit and had previously sought compensation for the trauma they had suffered. This third accuser, however, has said he has no plans to file a claim, so the attacks levied against the first two accusers cannot be used against this man. We hope that rather than consider new ways to discredit this victim, that the supporters of Fr. Pfleger will instead stand down and wait for the investigation by the Archdiocese of Chicago to finish before passing further judgment.

Accusations of sexual abuse tend to have a waterfall effect, in that the first person to come forward often instills courage in other survivors to raise their hand and say “me too.” This is especially true when the accused is particularly popular or powerful, and that trend is playing out in this case.

We want to praise and acknowledge this third survivor. His courage in speaking up supports not only the two men who previously came forward but also adds additional information to this unfolding case. We hope that he is getting the support and help he needs during this difficult time, and we also hope that his coming forward will be comforting to the brave brothers who first accused Fr. Pfleger of abuse.

CONTACT: Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director (517-974-9009, [email protected]), Larry Antonsen, SNAP Chicago (773-255-3382, [email protected])  

(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)


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