Father Frank Pavone, an incendiary pro-life activist who has stirred controversy on the issue within the church, was removed from the priesthood this fall.
Pavone was officially removed from the clergy on November 9 after receiving a letter from Pope Francis’ representative in the US, according to the New York Times. The letter states that Pavone will be removed without the possibility of appeal.
“This action was taken after Father Pavone was found guilty in canonical proceedings of blasphemous communications on social media and persistent disobedience to the legal instructions of his diocesan bishop,” the letter says, without specifying the communications.
Pavone claimed that he had not received any communication from the Vatican in an interview with the Catholic News Agency on Saturday. However, she was not surprised.
“I have been persecuted in the church for decades, decades. This is nothing new to me,” he told CNA. “They just don’t like the work I’m doing for these babies.”
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Father Frank Pavone, left, celebrates the Catholic Mass for attendees of the 2021 Conservative Political Action Conference at the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, Florida on February 27, 2021.
(SOPA Images/Contributor via Getty Images)
VATICAN – 12/2021/19: Pope Francis greets and blesses the children cared for by the Vatican’s Santa Marta Pediatric Dispensary in the Paul VI Hall. (Photo by Stefano Costantino/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
((Photo by Stefano Costantino/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images))
He went on to mention the circumstances of his “blasphemous communication”, saying that he had written the world “damn it” in a Tweet in 2020.
“I used the word GD in response to someone in a tweet and that’s why they want to remove me from the priesthood,” he said.
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Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the pope’s representative in the United States, alerted US bishops to the decision on December 13, according to the Times.
“As you may know, Father Pavone was a very public and high-profile figure associated with the Right to Life Movement in the United States,” Archbishop Pierre told the bishops. “His removal from the clerical state may therefore be a matter of interest among the faithful. In anticipation of that potential interest, the attached statement on Father Pavone is provided for his information.”
Protesters march and gather near the state capitol following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in Austin, Texas. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is being sued by health care providers for alleged threats to prosecute abortion providers.
(AP)
Pavone’s ouster comes months after the US pro-life movement scored a historic victory when the Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey.
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The ruling put abortion in the spotlight for the 2022 midterm election cycle, something many commentators believed actually helped Democrats.
