Burning Shirt Tied To Doors At St. Sabina Church Facility

By Samantha Abernethy in News on Apr 4, 2012 7:40PM

A burning shirt was tied to the door of St. Sabina Catholic Church's youth center early this morning, causing minor cosmetic damage to the building.

It also raised the ire of the congregation's leader, the controversial and outspoken Rev. Michael Pfleger. Pfleger thinks the act of attempted arson may have been a response to his well-known anti-gang rhetoric.

The Sun-Times writes:

He said he did not want to “draw the line to any specific thing,” but added the fire was the third incident where items have been tied to the church’s facility’s doors, including plastic bags of feces.

“This time it seems they stepped it up a notch with the fire,” said Pfleger, who was sleeping in the rectory when police notified him about the blaze. “If somebody is sending a message — so be it ­— we’re going to continue to send our message.”

Pfleger recently asked the city to close a neighborhood convenience store where six people were shot, saying the store was a "field office" for gang members.