Vatican Defrocks Outspoken Pro-Life Priest
Documents published Sunday show that Frank Pavone, a prominent Catholic priest and vocal anti-abortion advocate, was defrocked by the Vatican. There is no appeal.
“This action was taken following Father Pavone’s guilty verdict in canonical proceedings for blasphemous communications via social media and persistent disobedience to the lawful instructions by his diocesan Bishop,” according to a letter from Pope Francis that was first reported by The New York Times.
Pavone, a former religious advisor to President Donald Trump, is well-known for his leadership of Priests for Life, a religious group that strongly opposes abortion.
Pavone was a strong supporter of Trump through his presidency. Pavone tweeted ahead of the 2020 presidential election: “Why is that this goddamn loser Biden, and his morally corrupted, America-hating Democrat party, can’t say a damn thing in support for their loser candidate without using Trump?” What are you going to say, losers?
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Pavone, along with his public rhetoric, was also investigated by the Diocese of Amarillo in Texas. Following a live stream on Facebook in 2016 in which Pavone reportedly placed an abortion fetus onto a church altar as part of an Election Day appeal to voters to support Donald Trump.
Pavone said in his video, “Here is a baby who was killed in abortion during the second trimester.” “But today, we are going with this baby to pray and to let the baby’s body be witness to our nation as our next president is elected.”
The priest, who was still wearing a priest’s collar, has been streaming live on YouTube since Pavone’s dismissal.
“I have been persecuted by the church for many decades, even decades. This is not something new to me. . . . Pavone said that they don’t like the work I do for these babies.
The Vatican office of the Dicastery for the clergy issued Pavone’s defrocking (also known as laicization).
