Father Michael Pfleger Abuse Allegations Explained

Father Michael Pfleger, the longtime senior pastor of St. Sabina Catholic Church in Chicago, has faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct dating back decades. Allegations involving five people have surfaced publicly since 2021. Pfleger has consistently denied sexually abusing anyone. The Archdiocese of Chicago repeatedly removed him from ministry while allegations were investigated, and each completed Archdiocese review has ended with Pfleger being reinstated rather than disciplined for abuse. Most recently, on August 24, 2026, Cardinal Blase Cupich reinstated Pfleger after the Archdiocese’s Independent Review Board concluded there was “no reason to believe” he was guilty of a new allegation involving a girl more than 30 years earlier.

2026 Sexual Abuse Allegation

A Woman Accused Pfleger Of Sexually Abusing Her When She Was A Child. In July 2026, the Archdiocese of Chicago announced that it had received an allegation that Pfleger sexually abused a minor at St. Sabina more than 30 years earlier. Pfleger said the accuser was a woman who claimed she had attended school at St. Sabina and alleged the abuse occurred sometime between 1993 and 1995. News reports described her as the fifth person to publicly accuse Pfleger of sexual misconduct in recent years. [ ABC7 Chicago ] [ CBS Chicago ]

Pfleger Called The 2026 Accusation “An Absolute Lie.” Pfleger denied knowing or remembering the woman and said her allegation was false. He suggested she was either being manipulated by people attempting to damage him or pursuing money through a false accusation. He also criticized the Archdiocese’s policy of immediately removing an accused priest from ministry while an investigation is conducted. [ NBC Chicago ]

The Archdiocese Temporarily Removed Pfleger From Ministry. Cardinal Cupich asked Pfleger to step aside and live away from St. Sabina while the allegation was investigated. The Archdiocese said this was required by its child-protection procedures and did not itself constitute a determination that the allegation was true. Father Thulani Magwaza served as pastor during Pfleger’s absence. [ CBS Chicago ]

The Archdiocese Reinstated Pfleger In August 2026. On August 24, 2026, Cupich announced that the Archdiocese’s Independent Review Board, working with its child-protection office and outside investigators, had completed its review. Cupich said the board concluded there was “no reason to believe Father Pfleger is guilty of this allegation.” Cupich accepted the finding and reinstated Pfleger to ministry at St. Sabina effective immediately. [ NBC Chicago ] [ CBS Chicago ]

2021 Allegations From Two Brothers

Two Brothers Accused Pfleger Of Abusing Them Decades Earlier. The first allegation became public in January 2021, when a man accused Pfleger of sexually abusing him roughly 40 years earlier. A second man, the first accuser’s brother, subsequently came forward with a similar accusation. The brothers, then adults, alleged that Pfleger sexually abused them when they were young in the 1970s. [ Chicago Sun-Times ] [ AP ]

Pfleger Denied Abusing The Brothers. Pfleger’s attorneys said the allegations were false and accused the men of making them for money. Pfleger maintained that he had never sexually abused the brothers or anyone else. [ Chicago Sun-Times ]

Pfleger Was Removed From St. Sabina During The Investigation. Cardinal Cupich asked Pfleger to step aside from ministry in January 2021 while the Archdiocese investigated. Pfleger remained away from the parish for approximately five months. [ ABC7 Chicago ]

Third Accuser In 2021

A Third Man Said Pfleger Made An Unwanted Sexual Advance When He Was 18. In March 2021, a man then in his late 50s provided an affidavit alleging that Pfleger sexually touched him in the St. Sabina rectory when he was 18. The man also alleged that Pfleger had supplied him with marijuana and alcohol when he was a teenager during the 1970s. [ ABC7 Chicago ] [ Chicago Sun-Times ]

The Third Man Did Not File A Formal Abuse Claim Or Seek Money. His representative said the affidavit was submitted to the Archdiocese to support the credibility of the two brothers’ allegations. ABC7 reported that the man was not filing a lawsuit and was not seeking money. Because he said he was 18 when the alleged sexual contact occurred, his allegation differed from the allegations of child sexual abuse made by the other 2021 accusers. [ ABC7 Chicago ]

DCFS Investigation

Illinois Child-Welfare Officials Found The 2021 Report “Unfounded,” But With An Important Limitation. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services completed its inquiry in February 2021 and classified the report as “unfounded,” meaning it found no credible evidence under the standard it was applying. However, DCFS explained that state law did not permit it to investigate decades-old abuse allegations made by people who were now adults. Its inquiry concerned whether there was a current child victim or present danger, not whether the alleged incidents in the 1970s actually happened. [ ABC7 Chicago ] [ AP ]

The Archdiocese Said The DCFS Result Was Not A Determination Of Pfleger’s Guilt Or Innocence. Church officials stressed that the state agency’s conclusion should not be interpreted as deciding whether the brothers’ historical allegations were true. The Archdiocese continued its own investigation through its Independent Review Board. [ ABC7 Chicago ]

Pfleger Reinstated In 2021

The Archdiocese Said There Was Insufficient Reason To Suspect Pfleger Was Guilty. In May 2021, Cardinal Cupich announced that the Independent Review Board had completed its investigation and concluded there was “insufficient reason to suspect Father Pfleger is guilty of these allegations.” Cupich accepted the finding and reinstated Pfleger as senior pastor of St. Sabina. [ ABC7 Chicago ] [ National Catholic Reporter ]

The Brothers’ Attorney Disputed The Archdiocese’s Conclusion. Attorney Eugene Hollander, who represented the accusers, said his clients stood by their accounts and were disappointed by the review board’s determination. He argued that they had provided detailed evidence supporting their allegations. The Archdiocese nevertheless returned Pfleger to ministry. [ ABC7 Chicago ]

2022 Sexual Abuse Allegation

Another Man Accused Pfleger Of Abusing Him As A Minor In The 1980s. In October 2022, a man then in his 40s filed a claim with the Archdiocese alleging that Pfleger sexually abused him on two occasions when he was a minor. The man said he had belonged to the Soul Children of Chicago choir, which rehearsed at St. Sabina, and alleged that the abuse occurred in the church rectory during the 1980s. [ CBS Chicago ] [ ABC7 Chicago ]

The Allegation Was Reported To Authorities. The Archdiocese said the claim was reported to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and law-enforcement authorities in accordance with its child-protection policies. Pfleger again agreed to step aside from ministry and live away from St. Sabina while the investigation proceeded. [ CBS Chicago ]

Pfleger Said He Was “Completely Innocent.” Pfleger denied the man’s allegation and argued that the Archdiocese’s process was unfair because priests were removed before allegations were investigated. He predicted that the accusation would ultimately be determined to be unfounded. [ ABC7 Chicago ]

Pfleger Reinstated Again In 2022

The Review Board Said There Was No Reason To Suspect Pfleger Was Guilty. In December 2022, Cardinal Cupich announced that the Independent Review Board had completed its investigation with assistance from the Archdiocese’s Office of Child Abuse Investigation and outside investigators. Cupich said the board concluded there was “no reason to suspect Father Pfleger is guilty” and reinstated him immediately. [ CBS Chicago ] [ ABC7 Chicago ]

The Accuser’s Attorney Rejected The Review Board’s Finding. Hollander said his client was “extremely disappointed” and maintained that the accuser had presented substantial evidence. He also criticized the Archdiocese for not publicly explaining the factual basis for the board’s conclusion. [ CBS Chicago ]

St. Sabina’s Support For Pfleger

Pfleger Has Retained Strong Support At St. Sabina Throughout The Controversies. Parishioners repeatedly rallied around Pfleger during his suspensions, held demonstrations calling for his return and publicly questioned the Archdiocese’s investigative process. In 2021, Cardinal Cupich criticized what he described as intimidating tactics by some supporters attempting to influence the investigation. [ Chicago Sun-Times ]

Parishioners Again Demanded Changes To The Investigation Process In 2026. Following Pfleger’s latest removal, St. Sabina parishioners called for reforms to the Archdiocese’s procedures, arguing that repeatedly removing a priest immediately after an accusation causes severe reputational harm even when the allegation is ultimately not sustained by the review board. The Archdiocese defended its policy as necessary to ensure that abuse allegations are investigated consistently and impartially. [ OSV News ]

Current Status

Pfleger Is Back In Ministry At St. Sabina. As of August 25, 2026, Pfleger has been reinstated as senior pastor following the investigation of the woman who accused him in July. The Archdiocese’s review board said there was no reason to believe him guilty of that allegation. [ Chicago Sun-Times ] [ NBC Chicago ]

No Archdiocesan Investigation Has Resulted In A Finding That Pfleger Committed Sexual Abuse. Multiple people have made serious allegations against Pfleger, and those allegations should be distinguished from proven findings. Pfleger has denied the accusations. The Archdiocese’s completed investigations in 2021, 2022 and 2026 each ended with findings that did not substantiate guilt sufficiently to keep him out of ministry, and he was reinstated after each investigation. Those church determinations do not independently establish what occurred decades earlier, but no criminal conviction or Archdiocesan finding of sexual abuse against Pfleger has emerged from the allegations described above. [ CBS Chicago ] [ NBC Chicago ]

Relevant YouTube Videos