Vatican defrocks Frank Pavone, anti-abortion activist and priest, over social media posts

[SouthernDem4ever]

Source: USA Today

The Vatican has defrocked Frank Pavone, a high-profile anti-abortion American priest, over “blasphemous communications on social media” and “persistent disobedience” of his bishop, according to news reports Sunday.

The Vatican removed Pavone from the priesthood Nov. 9 and there is no chance for him to appeal his dismissal, according to a letter to U.S. bishops from Christophe Pierre, the Vatican ambassador to the U.S. The letter was first reported by Catholic News Agency.

Pavone, founder of anti-abortion group Priests for Life, frequently posts on social media about politics and abortion, largely in support of former President Donald J. Trump and the Republican party's anti-abortion platform.

The Vatican said it provided Pavone "ample opportunity" to defend himself, but he provided "no reasonable justification for his actions," according to the letter.



Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/12/18/priests-life-founder-frank-pavone-removed-vatican/10921387002/

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I guess the Catholic church is getting tired of being used as pawns by repuglicans.

[BOSSHOG]

1. The last paragraph

Applies to any MAGA Republican and any Catholic who has no respect for the separation of church and state. Let’s do away with the separation of church and state and turn loose the assessors. Would Pope Francis have a chat with his zealots?

[Talitha]

2. How long before 'ole Frank runs for office?

[Grimelle]

15. 3, 2, 1

Fact!

[Tetrachloride]

4. Texas and Florida

[Igel]

5. Internal.

He defiled the altar and defied his superiors.

He also put his parish's secular rights and privileges at risk.

[NullTuples]

6. Why was he never charged for owning a fetus, the one he used as a prop during his sermon?

It was kind of a big deal a few years ago but I've checked and somehow Texas police never thought to charge him?

Who cares about what happens between lower and upper members of an organization. It's what happens when someone breaks the law that matters. Far too often the RCC is allowed to handle actual lawbreaking "internally". Imagine if other organizations were allowed to do such a thing!

[peppertree]

7. Francis must have gotten a kick out of defrocking this one.

'Pavone' in Argentina (actually, 'Pavón') means big turkey or moron.

[3Hotdogs]

12. Or gavone, in Italian.

[peppertree]

17. Certo!

[drmeow]

8. I'm sure there's a place

in Westboro Baptist Church for him

[IronLionZion]

9. The unborn are an easy excuse to support policies that screw the born

Priests should not be openly political for any party or candidate.

[Warpy]

10. Good, glad Francis is paying atttention

to what the frocked misogynists are up to besides church sanctioned misogyny.

[PlutosHeart]

11. Wow. Super bold.

American Right-Wing Catholics have been giving the Church a really bad name. Causing a major split. Am impressed this happened.

[onetexan]

14. Not merely enough. The american wing of the catholic church is not in lock step with the vatican

Its leadership the bishops and cardinals overwhelmingly promote RW agenda and tolerate discrimination of minorities and LGBTQ+ communities. Francis is a great man & pope. The organization he leads, however, is systemically flawed & corrupt.

[Lonestarblue]

13. I wish we could "defrock" the right-wing Catholics on the Supreme Court and kick them out..

[orangecrush]

16. Boot 'em out, Frank!

My Pope was a bouncer before his present vocation.

True fact

Show them the door, Frank.

[scipan]

18. More info

An outspoken supporter of former president Donald Trump, Pavone served on official Trump campaign outreach positions in 2016 and was originally a co-chair of Trump’s 2020 pro-life coalition, as well as an advisory board member of Catholics for Trump. Canon law forbids clerics from having an active role in political parties unless they receive the permission of their bishop.

In November 2016, Pavone filmed a video at the Priests for Life headquarters, urging support for Trump. The video was staged with the body of an aborted baby laid before Pavone on what appeared to be an altar.

( It was given to him to be buried)...snip...

Pavone also reportedly tweeted that he would hear the confession of a Catholic who votes Democrat, “but we are trained that in the absence of repentance, absolution has to be withheld.”

In response, the Amarillo Diocese issued a statement disavowing Pavone’s comments, saying he used “scandalous words not becoming of a Catholic priest.”

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253106/vatican-dismisses-father-frank-pavone-from-priesthood

[SouthernDem4ever]

22. A great example of religion gone wild

Of course, we could add to that every TV and Crystal Palace type preacher as well.

[TomSlick]

19. I'm not Catholic but my understand is that a priest's vows include a vow of obedience.

It would appear the Holy See takes that vow seriously.

[GenThePerservering]

20. I wish Francis would live forever

He's a good man.

As for Pavone - ptttthhhh! De-pants him as well!

[Red Mountain]

21. It would be nice

If they could recall him to Rome and stick him in a remote monastery somewhere to brush up on his obedience.

For a long, long time.