Vatican laicizes Rev. Frank Pavone of ‘Priests for Life’ Anti-Abortion Group

Defrocked for alleged ‘disobedience’ and ‘blasphemy’…

Vatican laicizes Rev. Frank Pavone of ‘Priests for Life’ Anti-Abortion Group

UPDATES 27-DEC-2022 17:59 UTC:

• “A Letter to Father Pavone” (Crisis)
• Video: “A Christmas Eve Message from Pro-Life Leader, Frank Pavone”

UPDATES 22-DEC-2022 21:19 UTC:

• “Viganò’s Declaration on the Canonical Sanctions Imposed on Father Frank A. Pavone” (The Remnant)
• Video: “The Vatican vs. Frank Pavone” (Crisis)
• “Sr. Dede Byrne: Fr. Pavone’s laicization is a ‘travesty’” (Life Site)
• “Fr. Pavone tells Taylor Marshall he’s ‘sure’ Vatican wants him excommunicated” (Life Site)
• “The Rev. Frank Pavone Defrocking Drama” (Novus Ordo Watch)

UPDATES 21-DEC-2022 05:41 UTC:

• Podcast: TRADCAST EXPRESS 166 (Novus Ordo Watch)
• “Mutiny on the SS Newchurch: Pavone thrown overboard” (AKA Catholic)
• Video: “SPECIAL REPORT: Father Pavone Cancelled?” (Catholic Family News)
• Video: “The PavoneGate Saga Continues: The One Question Frank Pavone Has Not Answered” (Reason & Theology)
• Video: “Father Frank Pavone talks with Dr. Taylor Marshall about Vatican decree”

UPDATES 20-DEC-2022 20:48 UTC:

• “Frank Pavone, Leader of the Right to Life Movement in the United States, Is Dismissed from the Clerical State” (Zenit)
• “Priests for Life’s Frank Pavone: ‘The Next Pope Can Reinstate Me’ to the Priesthood” (National Catholic Register)
• “The Sad Case of Frank Pavone” (Crisis)
• “Prominent US Pro-Life Priest Laicised” (De Omnibus Dubitandum Est)
• Video: Taylor Marshall interviews Rev. Frank Pavone
• “The Frank Pavone story is not about abortion” (Our Sunday Visitor)
• “The Vatican’s action against Frank Pavone: overdue yet unexplained” (Phil Lawler at Catholic Culture)
• Video: “Thoughts on Fr. Pavone’s Dismissal from the Priesthood” (Fr. Stephen Imbarrato)
• “Fr. Frank Pavone Laicized by Vatican – His Response & What Catholics Are Saying” (ChurchPOP)
• “With Frank Pavone laicized, what will happen to Priests for Life?” (The Pillar)
• “Priest for life? A Frank Pavone explainer” (The Pillar)
• “Pursuing the Truth: the Frank Pavone Story” (Joan’s Rome)
• “Famous Pro-Life Priest Cancelled by the Vatican” (Catholic Family News)
• “Father Pavone’s shocking laicization case reeks of illegality” (Life Site)
• Video: “Here Is What the ‘Blasphemy’ Charge Against Fr. Pavone Is All About” (Life Site)
• “‘Indefensible’: Pro-lifers, conservatives voice support for Fr. Pavone following Vatican laicization” (Life Site)

UPDATES 19-DEC-2022 16:20 UTC:

• Video: Novus Ordo apologist Michael Lofton weighs in on Frank Pavone controversy (Reason & Theology)
• “Canon lawyer on Father Pavone’s dismissal from priesthood: Only the Pope can issue a decision without appeal” (Catholic News Agency)
• “More on the Fr. Pavone Controversy!” (Les Femmes – The Truth)
• “Vatican laicises U.S. pro-life activist priest for ‘blasphemous’ communications” (Catholic Herald)
• “Well-known US pro-life activist-priest dismissed from priesthood” (La Croix International)
• “BREAKING: Vatican Dismisses Father Frank Pavone From Priesthood” (National Catholic Register)
• Rev. Frank Pavone releases Statement on his Defrocking (Priests for Life)
• Raw Source: SCAN OF NUNCIO LETTER with Explanatory Note (PDF)
• “Anti-abortion priest Pavone defrocked for blasphemous posts” (Associated Press)
• “Frank Pavone cancels Mass but vows legal action after Vatican dismisses him from priesthood” (Catholic News Agency)
• Tweet: ‘Bishop’ Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas, comes to Pavone’s defense

UPDATES 18-DEC-2022 21:34 UTC:

• Video: Rev. Frank Pavone addresses his dismissal from the Novus Ordo priesthood
• “FATHER FRANK PAVONE ‘CANCELLED’ FROM THE HOLY PRIESTHOOD BY BERGOGLIO” (Vox Cantoris)
• “BREAKING: Vatican Dismisses Father Frank Pavone From Priesthood” (National Catholic Register)
• “Vatican Removes Anti-Abortion Activist From the Priesthood” (New York Times)

ORIGINAL POST:

Breaking news late on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022:

Catholic News Agency is reporting that the American Novus Ordo priest Rev. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, has been laicized by the Vatican. In other words, ‘Pope’ Francis has removed Pavone from the priesthood and reduced him to the lay state, so to speak. No appeal is possible to this decision.

The full article is available here:

• BREAKING: Vatican dismisses Father Frank Pavone from priesthood (Catholic News Agency)

We will quote the first few paragraphs of the report:

Father Frank Pavone, a well-known pro-life activist and national director of the organization Priests for Life, has been dismissed from the clerical state for “blasphemous communications on social media” and “persistent disobedience of the lawful instructions of his diocesan bishop,” CNA has learned.

In a Dec. 13 letter to U.S. bishops obtained by CNA and confirmed by multiple sources as authentic, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, wrote that the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy issued the decision on Nov. 9, adding that there was “no possibility of appeal.”

“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,” explains a separate statement attached to Pierre’s letter. “It was determined that Father Pavone had no reasonable justification for his actions.”

Pavone, however, told CNA Saturday that he had not been notified about the Vatican’s judgment.

Before we continue, a quick side note: On account of the changes made by ‘Pope’ Paul VI to the ordination rites in 1968, we do not believe Pavone was ever validly ordained in the first place. However, this consideration is immaterial to the present issue. The point is that Pavone is considered to be a valid priest in the Novus Ordo Church, and it is from this priesthood that he has now reportedly been defrocked.

Once validly ordained, a priest cannot ever lose his priesthood, nor can it be taken away from him by any power on earth, including the Pope. However, what can happen is for a priest to be considered legally, and treated practically, as if he were a layman again. That is what defrocking accomplishes.

The defrocking of a priest is a rare event and constitutes an extreme punishment. It is reserved for the worst of the worst, such as the notorious sex abuser “Cardinal” Theodore McCarrick, who caused untold harm to souls directly and indirectly.

What great evils did Fr. Pavone possibly commit to deserve such a severe punishment? No concrete details are known: “The communication from [nuncio] Pierre does not specify the actions that led to Pavone’s dismissal or name the bishop he disobeyed”, the CNA article states.

We will hold off on commenting until the actual reasons are provided to the public. We will, however, point out what sort of clerical characters the Vatican has not laicized, or punished in any way, despite grave offenses against Faith or morals (here a very small selection):

• ‘Cardinal’ Christoph Schönborn, who is personally responsible for the habitual defilement of churches and does what he can to endorse sodomitical unions
• ‘Bishop’ Franz-Josef Overbeck, who has claimed that God is present in sodomitical relationships
• ‘Bishop’ Franz-Josef Bode, who allowed performers who were almost entirely nude to profane the sanctuary of his diocesan cathedral with a perverted “sacred dance”
• ‘Bishop’ Georg Bätzing, who believes that adultery and sodomy are not sinful
• ‘Bishop’ Hermann Glettler, who had a blasphemous “Jesus Clock” installed in his church under the pretext of “art”
• ‘Fr.’ Manel Pousa, who paid for abortions for women “in need”
• ‘Fr.’ Mario Serrano Marte, who has called for the legalization of abortion in “complex cases” in the Dominican Republic
• ‘Fr.’ Timothy Radcliffe, who is on record saying that sodomy “can be expressive of Christ’s self-gift”
• ‘Fr.’ Thomas Rosica, who blasphemed the Holy Family on Twitter

And as far as blasphemy goes, of course Francis himself is the Vatican’s chief blasphemer.

The prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy who issued the decision against Frank Pavone is the Korean Lazzaro You Heung-sik (b. 1951). He was appointed to this position by Francis last year and was elevated to the status of “Cardinal” this past August.

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