Church rallies around controversial pastor

CHICAGO, March 17 (UPI) -- The Chicago church of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., has rallied around its retired pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, whose remarks have been repudiated by Obama.

Trinity United Church of Christ criticized the media coverage of Wright's controversial sermons, saying in a statement Wright's "character is being assassinated in the public sphere," CNN reported.

The defense came two days after presidential hopeful Obama, a longtime friend of Wright, denounced Wright's provocative sermons, calling them "inflammatory and appalling." Taped clips of Wright denouncing the United States as a racist country were aired recently.

"It is an indictment on Dr. Wright's ministerial legacy to present his global ministry within a 15- or 30-second sound bite," the Rev. Otis Moss III, Trinity's current pastor, said.

The Rev. John H. Thomas, general minister and president of the United Church of Christ, said in the same statement that news media were creating a "caricature" of his congregation.

"It's time for us to say 'No' to these attacks and declare that we will not allow anyone to undermine or destroy the ministries of any of our congregations in order to serve their own narrow political or ideological ends," Thomas said.