Who is Frank Pavone? Anti-abortion priest defrocked by Vatican once placed aborted fetus on church altar
VATICAN, VATICAN CITY: Father Frank Pavone was defrocked by the Vatican after his “blasphemous communications on social media” and “persistent disobedience” of his bishop. As per reports, he was removed from the priesthood on Wednesday, November 9. He was a famous anti-abortion activist priest and national director of Priests for Life.
According to Catholic News Agency, the letter was written by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the United States, who informed regarding the decision through a letter dated December 13. “Rev. Frank Pavone, the founder of the organization, Priests for Life, Inc, was dismissed from the clerical state by the Holy See on 9 November 2022. It further added, “This action was taken after Father Pavone was found guilty in canonical proceedings of blasphemous communications on social media, and of persistent disobedience of the lawful instructions of his diocesan bishop, reported New York Post.
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The letter stated, “Father Pavone was given ample opportunity to defend himself in the canonical proceedings, and he was also given multiple opportunities to submit himself to the authority of his diocesan bishop. It was determined that Father Pavone had no reasonable justification for his actions.” It added, “Since Priests for Life, Inc. is not a Catholic organization, Mr. Pavone’s continuing role in it as a lay person would be entirely up to the leadership of that organization." The letter also specified there was “no possibility of appeal.”
Furthermore, the letter said, “Since Priests for Life, Inc. is not a Catholic organization, Mr. Pavone’s continuing role as a lay person would be entirely up to the leadership of that organization." However, according to Catholic News Agency, when the outlet reached out for a statement, Pavone claimed in an email, “How did CNA learn about this before I did?. In a subsequent email, he added that CNA’s inquiry was “the very first communication that came to me about this."
Who is Frank Pavone?
Father Frank Pavone is a 63-year-old priest famous for his anti-abortion stance. He has a close affiliation with former POTUS Donald Trump. The 63-year-old is the National Director of Priests for Life (PFL) and serves as the chairman and Pastoral Director of its project, Rachel's Vineyard. Pavone is also the President of the National Pro-Life Religious Council and serves as Pastoral Director of the Silent No More campaign. He was born in Port Chester, New York, on February 4, 1959. Initially, Pavone was ordained to the priesthood on November 12, 1988, by Cardinal John O'Connor, then Archbishop of New York, and was assigned to St Charles' Church. In 1993, he sought permission from O'Connor to devote his ministry to ending abortion. He also established a religious community called Missionaries of the Gospel of Life, which was dedicated to anti-abortion activities and later merged to priest of life.
According to his LinkedIn, he is a postgraduate in Theology from St Josephs's Seminary. In 1997, he was the Official of the Pontifical Council for the Family and became the Corresponding Member of the Pontifical Academy for Life (Vatican). From 2002 to the present, he is the president of the National ProLife Religious Council and the pastoral director of the Silent No More Awareness Campaign. Pavone is the Pastoral Director and Chairman of Rachel's Vineyard and National Director of Priests For Life.
The reports from Catholic News Agency suggest that the Vatican also had issues with his extensive support for Donald Trump since Canon law forbids clerics from having an active role in political parties unless they receive the permission of their bishop. However, he still receives support from some of his fellow priests, including Bishop Joseph Strickland, who officially stated, “The blasphemy is that this holy priest is canceled while an evil president promotes the denial of truth & the murder of the unborn at every turn. Vatican officials promote immorality & denial of the deposit of faith & priests promote gender confusion devastating lives.” Pavone tweeted on his official handle, "Hi friends… So in every profession, including the priesthood, if you defend the #unborn, you will be treated like them! The only difference is that when we are “aborted,” we continue to speak, loud and clear."
Hi friends… So in every profession, including the priesthood, if you defend the #unborn, you will be treated like them!
— Fr. Frank Pavone (@frfrankpavone) December 18, 2022
The only difference is that when we are “aborted,” we continue to speak, loud and clear.