Church praises Wright at special service

Thousands gathered at Trinity United Church of Christ to thank the retired pastor who has become a central figure in the Democratic presidential race for his 30-year service to the congregation.

The Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. has been at the center of a storm since snippets of past sermons that denounced America for allegedly racist and genocidal acts circulated on the Internet and on television.

In a speech two weeks ago, Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama, a member of Trinity, sharply condemned some of Wright's remarks. But he did not leave the church or repudiate the minister himself, who he said was like a family member.

Late Monday, Wayne Watson, chancellor of the City Colleges of Chicago, called Wright one of his heroes.

"You have fought the fight. You are a man's man. You have maintained independence from corporate elite and from politicians," Watson said. "I guess what I'm saying is you are your own man. You are our man. You are God's man."

The Rev. Otis Moss III, the son of a former aide to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the new pastor of Trinity, said the congregation gathered "to show the Wright family is the right family."

"If the church is silent, the rocks will cry out. If the church is silent, democracy will not become a reality in America. If the church is silent, then the United States cannot be united," Moss said.

Wright, who officially retires May 31, did not speak during the two-hour service.

Wright has not spoken publicly since the controversy over his sermons began. He recently scrapped plans to receive an award in Texas, and to speak at churches in Houston and Tampa, Fla.

Wright retired last month but remains as a senior pastor of the Chicago church.