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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Matter of Opinion

Obama and the Catholic Priest

Barack Obama's in trouble again for remarks a Catholic priest, Father Michael Pfleger, who is pastor of St. Sabina’s Catholic Church in Chicago but was doing a guest sermon stint at Obama's regular church. Read about the controversy here.

But what fascinates me about the story is how Pfleger preaches. He's expressive, explosive and mimics, in some ways, the best of black preachers. It's not like anything I've ever seen from a Catholic Church pulpit.

Jeffrey Weiss in his religion blog at dallas.news.com noticed, too, asking:

Have you ever heard a priest bring the oratory like that? No offense to my Catholic friends, but in my experience the homily is seldom the emotional high point of a mass. Is there something in the water fountain at that church?

Take a look for yourself:



A Matter of Opinion is really a matter of three opinions – those held by the people responsible for the opinion pages of The Spokesman-Review. Check in regularly to find out what they’re up to, what they think and where they differ and to joust with them if you want.