Thousands show at church to support Obama's pastor

SOUTH SIDE | 'The church cannot be silenced,' new pastor declares

Thousands of parishioners came out to the South Side to show their support for the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. -- the former pastor of Sen. Barack Obama who has been blasted for some of his sermons.

In a two-hour program at Wright's Trinity United Church of Christ, several activists praised Wright. The Rev. Otis Moss III, the new pastor of the church also spoke favorably about Wright.

"The church cannot be silent," said Moss in a portion of the service shown on the Internet and reported on by WMAQ-Channel 5. "If the church is silent, then rocks will cry out."

Wright also attended the service but did not speak.

"It was really a nice prayer service," said one parishioner who did not want to be identified.

The woman, like some other congregation members, said they were told by the church not to speak to the media.

Security also was tight at the event. Bags were checked, the woman said.

"I think all this negative attention about our pastor is just to get at Obama," she said.

Wright, Obama's spiritual adviser for years, has become political fodder in the presidential campaign.

Obama has condemned remarks by Wright that denounced America for allegedly racist and genocidal acts.