I was stunned when I heard the news. Fr. Frank Pavone, the National Director of Priests for Life, the National Pastoral Director of Rachel’s Vineyard, and the president of the National Pro-Life Religious Council has been laicized by the Vatican – kicked out of the priesthood.
What gives?
Why is our abortion and homosexual-marriage supporting president given Holy Communion by spineless clerics, while Fr. Pavone can’t even say Mass? Why are the 89 Catholics in the House of Representatives who voted for the Disrespect for Marriage Act not disciplined, while Fr. Pavone is laicized? Why are homosexual-loving clerics promoted and given papal audiences, while Fr. Pavone is kicked to the curb?
Am I wrong to think something wrong is occurring before our eyes?
I view Fr. Pavone as the most courageous and charitable pro-life priest in the country and around the world. After meeting Fr. Pavone over thirty years ago in Dobbs Ferry, NY, I knew I had met an unusual man.
Fr. Pavone and I met in the midst of a pro-life rescue where we sat peacefully blocking the door of a killing center so that no abortions would occur that day. Things got intense when horses and aggressive German Shepherds were brought in to intimidate and encourage abandonment of the rescue. The pro-lifers didn’t move until arrested.
After the arrest and court processing, a friend and I went back to the scene of the rescue where we had parked our car. We were in a corner market across the street from the abortion clinic, sipping coffee and trying to warm up after the freezing-cold rescue.
We noticed a priest walking down the sidewalk of the clinic just as the abortionist was exiting. The priest was Fr. Pavone. The red-faced angry abortionist screamed and cussed at him with every derogatory word imaginable. We were concerned for the physical safety of Fr. Pavone as the situation was escalating quickly.
When the abortionist paused for breath, Fr. Pavone spoke to him with perfectly calm and charitable words. Then our jaws dropped as we saw Fr. Pavone and the abortionist introduce themselves to each other in a friendly manner and started walking towards the corner market.
Fr. Pavone introduced us to the abortionist as we all sipped on our coffees. We were able to share with the “doctor” that we didn’t mean him harm, but that we simply wanted to save the babies. He shared with us the shocking news that he had aborted one of his own children. Fr. Pavone responded to this wounded man with the hope of forgiveness from Christ.
I went home realizing that I had met a remarkable priest. Seeing his expanding pro-life leadership with Priests of Life and his national impact for life was no surprise for me after seeing Fr. Pavone in action at Dobbs Ferry.
I do realize, in the eyes of the left-wing American hierarchy who don’t blink when giving the Blessed Eucharist to abortion-supporting-politicians, that Fr. Pavone committed the unforgivable sin by giving vigorous support for President Trump.
President Trump is far from perfect, but he did have the backbone to personally show up at the January pro-life rally in D.C. Let us remember that it was due to President Trump’s magnificent appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court that the scourge of Roe v. Wade was overturned.
At this time of year, I usually ask for an end-of-year Christmas gift to the Family Life Center to assist in making up for deficits incurred over the year. Although we again have deficits this year, I’m asking for something different.
I ask that whatever donation you intended to send to the Family Life Center this Christmas Season instead to send it to Priests for Life headed by Fr. Pavone. I ask you to send the most generous donation you can.
The center isn’t holding in our culture, our country, and unfortunately in too much of our Church. It’s time to stand up for life, marriage, and what’s right. A generous donation to Priests for Life is an excellent start.
Yours in His Majesty’s Service,
Steve Wood, President
Family Life Center International
Father Pavone is the latest member of the Coalition For Canceled Priests.
Pray for all Priests particularly those persecuted by the Holy See.
“Then Jesus said to His disciples: If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” Matthew 16:24
Oremus
Dear Mr. Walker. You frequently link to AKA Catholic. Have you read his column (with internal links) about Frank Pavone?
https://akacatholic.com/pavone-thrown-overboard/
To me, he seems Frank Pavone another victim of the Lefebvre effect -if you don’t like what the Pope is doing, castigate him and go your own way ignoring his attempted disciplining of you.
If you do that, scores of trads will publicly take your side in opposition to the Pope.
Fr. Pavone’s story is tragic to say the least. So many other priests with a heterodox positions go unpunished, yet the good, orthodox priests are sanctioned. At the same time, however, even the good, solid priests embrace a certain rebellious and revolutionary mindset. The story of Fr. Pavone does include his unwillingness to embrace the will of his superiors in the hierarchy. Cardinal O’Connor may have allowed for Pavone’s “vocation” to serve the cause of life, but bishops change and their expectations change. Fr. Pavone switched dioceses on two occasions, from NY to Amarillo and on to Colorado Springs. Who was his bishop in the end? Who was his head? This is part of the tragic story. The saints of old always submitted to superiors, even in unjust decisions.
I have been intrigued by this event. It certainly smacks of Bergoglio’s hatred of Catholicism, but Pavone is an heretic, rejecting the dogma of “extra ecclesia nulla salus”, as most conciliar bishops/priests do. He has encouraged Catholics to not proselytize, and not pray the Rosary because it offends “brother Christians”. In saner times, he would have been ” cancelled” because of his indifferentism…
Father Pavone prays a daily rosary and invites non Catholics to join the recitation. Father Pavone is a man of heroic virtue in fighting for the lives of the pre-born children. Obedience to wolves in sheep’s clothing is not virtuous.