(RNS) — The Rev. Michael Pfleger, a well-known anti-gun activist priest, has been accused of child sexual abuse and removed from ministry while the allegation is investigated, the Archdiocese of Chicago announced on Saturday (July 11). Pfleger “strongly denied” the allegation, which comes after archdiocesan reviews with outside investigators cleared him of four previous accusations of decades-old abuse, which were all found in the last five years to be unsubstantiated.

Pfleger, 77, is the longtime pastor of St. Sabina Parish, a predominantly African American parish, and he has been at the helm of several prominent, sometimes controversial, activism campaigns. Last month, he called on President Donald Trump to restore gun violence prevention funding to the City of Chicago and told Trump to “shut up,” referring to a social media post in which the president claimed he could fix violence in Chicago.

In a July 11 Facebook post, Pfleger said Chicago’s vicar for priests told him the recent allegation was made by a woman who said she went to elementary school at St. Sabina and that she was abused by Pfleger “at some time” between 1993 to 1995.

“This is an absolute lie,” Pfleger wrote. “I have no memory of this girl nor do countless others who have been at St. Sabina for those years.”

In a letter to parishioners, Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich wrote, “In keeping with our child protection policies, I have asked Father Pfleger to step aside from ministry and live away from the parish while the allegation is investigated,” announcing that the Rev. Thulani Magwaza will continue to serve as pastor of the parish.

Cupich stressed that the wellbeing of children is the “paramount concern” of the archdiocese and encouraged anyone who has experienced abuse to come forward to the archdiocese’s Office for the Protection of Children and Youth, where he said they would be treated with “compassion and respect.” 

But the cardinal also acknowledged that the allegation would be upsetting to the parish, where several parishioners have spoken to local media to denounce the allegation and Pfleger’s suspension. “As your parish has been through this before, I can well understand your distress in learning of this development,” he wrote, asking for their patience.

Cupich emphasized that the archdiocese was not presuming either truth or “falsity” from the allegations until the investigation and process is complete.

“Only by conducting a thorough and impartial review can we ensure fairness to all concerned,” he wrote. “As is also required by our child protection policies, the allegation was reported to law enforcement authorities and the person making the allegation has been offered the services of our Victim Assistance Ministry,” he added.

In his July 11 Facebook post, Pfleger said that the current policies dealing with sexual abuse are “wrong” and “unfair,” while acknowledging that the church had historically not dealt with accusations appropriately. 

“The presumption of innocence does not exist for priests,” Pfleger wrote. “Before an investigation or even a conversation has taken place a priest is removed and told to remain silent during their process.”

Kathleen McChesney, who was the first person to lead the U.S. Catholic bishops’ Office of Child and Youth Protection, told RNS that Cupich appears to be appropriately responding to the allegation. 

“There should be an independent, professional investigation over all allegations,” she said. “It’s just too important to not do an investigation.”

Pfleger attributed the allegation to a campaign to “destroy” and “silence” him. He wrote, “For the 51 years of my ministry, I have been threatened, slandered, and attacked” due to his activism, he wrote, saying he gets weekly hate calls and emails.

Pfleger has taken prominent roles in multiple prayer vigils outside Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities in Chicago in the past two years, saying last November, “This administration of an incompetent, narcissistic, wannabe dictator has chosen to invoke fear, pain and terror on the city of Chicago and its citizens.”

Sometimes Pfleger’s activism has landed him in hot water or stirred controversy. In 2019, Cupich released a statement apologizing to the Jewish community after Pfleger invited the Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan — known for extreme rhetoric about Jews — to speak at St. Sabina, where Farrakhan made antisemitic statements. In 2008, Cardinal Francis George suspended Pfleger from St. Sabina after he mocked then-candidate Hilary Clinton in a sermon, calling her “entitled.” Pfleger was an ally of Barack Obama, who was then rivaling Clinton for the presidential primary nomination. 

Since he became pastor at St. Sabina in 1981, Pfleger has led a successful campaign to remove liquor and tobacco billboards in his parish’s neighborhood, many anti-gun violence protests and several gun turn-in events.

In a July 13 Facebook post, Pfleger wrote that he had heard that the investigation would be “expedited” but said that “the policy is so broken I am very leery of this process.”

With over 400 comments largely flooded with support for Pfleger, the July 13 post seemed to hint at a drastic decision. 

“If it is not over very soon, I will make a decision. I will not allow this to destroy and distract from the real issues we and our community have of poverty, homelessness, violence, economic development, racism, better schools for our children, etc,” he wrote. “This battle is the Lord’s.”