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CHICAGO (CBS) ― Father Michael Pfleger will return to the pulpit at St. Sabina Catholic Church on June 16, after Cardinal Francis George forced him to take a leave of absence over controversial comments about U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Pfleger created an uproar last month when he delivered a sermon at Trinity United Church Of Christ and mocked Clinton's tears on the campaign trail.

George forced Pfleger to temporarily step down this week to reflect on those comments. Pfleger was forced by Cardinal George to stay away from St. Sabina's and to move out of the rectory.

"I have asked Father Michael Pfleger, Pastor of St. Sabina's Parish, to step back from his obligations there," the cardinal said in a statement on Tuesday, "and take leave for a couple of weeks from his pastoral duties."

Parishioners said Sunday morning that they have been told Pfleger will return to the church on June 16 on the grounds that he can not discuss politics.

But the Archdiocese of Chicago couldn't confirm Pfleger's return and a spokeswoman says Cardinal Francis George hasn't issued any new statement on the matter.

The Cardinal met with parishoners of St. Sabina on Thursday to discuss the suspension, but neither the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago nor the congregation discussed that meeting until Sunday morning.

The church was demanding Pfleger's reinstatement, arguing all the good he was doing at Saint Sabina far outweighed what he said one Sunday at Trinity United Church of Christ.

They wanted him back to preside over graduations and weddings. His absence, they said, would punish them as much as it would him.

At Sunday's 10 a.m. mass the congregation learned it's wish had been granted.

In light of the decision, the church's pastoral associate says Father Pfleger's mandatory sabbatical was not a punishment.

"This action was not punitive," said Kimberly Linemoore. "But rather a time to step back to reflect."

But congregation members believe it was punitive and unnecessarily harsh.

"The church chose to, for lack of a better word, to smite him; and I don't believe it was right," said parishioner Martin Dumas.

They say reinstatement fits in with the church's message of reconciliation.

"Getting over the YouTube moment and moving beyond that is significant. I think America has to remember we're a country of second chances," said parishioner David Griggs.

Pfleger has been pastor of the predominantly African-American St. Sabina parish, at 1210 W. 78th St., since 1981. He has gained notoriety for his political activism on behalf of gun control, racial and social equality, and intervention against youth violence.

On May 25, Pfleger was a guest preacher at the Trinity United Church of Christ, of which Sen. Obama was a member for two decades. In his sermon, he mocked Clinton and the emotion she showed before the New Hampshire primary.

"I really don't believe it was put on. I always thought she felt 'This is mine. I'm Bill's wife. I'm white. And this is mine. I just got to get up and step into the plate,'" he said. "And then out of nowhere came, 'Hey, I'm Barack Obama.' And she said, 'Oh damn, where did you come from? I'm white. I'm entitled. There's a black man stealing my show.'"

Pfleger then pretended to cry in a dramatization that included a handkerchief.

"She wasn't the only one crying. There was a whole lot of white people crying," he said.

Pfleger later apologized for his comments. "I apologize for anyone who was offended and thought it to be mockery. that was neither my intent nor was it my heart."

But the controversy prompted U.S. Sen. Barack Obama to cut ties with Trinity, where he had been a member for more than 20 years.

Previously, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the former longtime pastor at Trinity, drew fire for controversial remarks which infuriated Obama. 

Wright has said the U.S. government may have developed the AIDS virus to infect blacks and that the U.S. invited the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Obama has denounced the remarks.

Whether Father Pfleger will be given the chance to lead St. Sabina's for many more years remains to be seen. Church members say if he's eventually forced to leave, many parishioners will leave with him.

"More than 75 percent of the people would move," said parishioner Marian Hunt.

Pfleger wrote a letter, which was read to the congregation Sunday. In it, he appeared to be referring to his own future, saying: "we know not what the future holds, but we do know God is in control."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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