May 31, 2008

Obama resigns from Chicago church

Obama's campaign confirms resignation

Barack Obama's campaign says that he has had enough of the Chicago church where controversial sermons by his former pastors preach and has resigned from it.

Obama's spokesman, Robert Gibbs, gave no details, but said Obama had sent a letter resigning from the church he has attended for years.

The resignation comes days after the Rev. Michael Pfleger, a visiting Catholic priest, mocked Obama's Democratic rival, Sen. Hillary Clinton, for crying during the runup to the New Hampshire primary.

Previously, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, former pastor at Trinity United Church of Christ and Obama's minister for about 20 years, drew unwanted attention for the campaign when videos of his fiery sermons surfaced.

In the speeches, Wright suggested that the U.S. government may be responsible for the spread of AIDS in the black community and equated some American wartime activities to terrorism.

Obama has said he was not present for the controversial sermons by Wright or Pfleger and condemned both. This week, he said he was "deeply disappointed" by Pfleger's "divisive, backward-looking rhetoric."