The archbishop of Chicago has removed a priest as head of a North Side church after he burned a rainbow banner, angering the LGBT community.
The Chicago Tribune reports that Cardinal Blase Cupich (BLAYZ’ SOO’-pich) announced Rev. Paul Kalchik’s removal in a recent letter to parishioners and staff at the Resurrection Catholic Church.
Cupich said he acted “out of concern” for Kalchik and parishioners. He said the 56-year-old priest needed “time away from the parish to receive pastoral support.”
Kalchik told the newspaper on Friday that he’s not anti-gay and that he was “about as much of a gay basher as Mother Teresa.”
An archdiocese spokeswoman told the paper Saturday that the priest’s removal wasn’t “directly due” to banner’s destruction and had been “in the works.”
———
Information from: Chicago Tribune, http://www.chicagotribune.com
