BREAKING: Vatican dismisses Father Frank Pavone from priesthood

[Michie]

I’m withholding judgement.

 

[Michie]

Frank Pavone cancels Mass but vows legal action after Vatican dismisses him from priesthood

In a Dec. 13 letter to U.S. bishops, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the United States, wrote that the prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy issued the decision to dismiss Pavone from the priesthood.

www.catholicnewsagency.com

 

[narnia59]

I've read all of Frank Pavone's side of things on his site and I think Fr. Dwight Longenecker has probably nailed it. And when you read the comments people make supporting him, I would also say this part of Fr. Longenecker's assessment is correct -- "An unhealthy symbiotic relationship develops."

I understand Fr. Dwight was clear he was commenting in general and not specifically, But all the signs from Pavone's own words look to fit to me.

Priests take a vow of obedience to their bishop and the subsequent bishops where they are incardinated. The only cause to break that vow is they are asked to do something immoral.

Countless saints have had to set aside what they feel to be their personal calling and wait, and have been obedient. Mother Teresa was one -- she waited for years to receive approval to start her own order. Part of that process is often part of the testing of the calling or vocation to be sure it's of God and not simply the desire of the person.

If he had obeyed the first bishop who asked him to return to parish life even though he felt his calling was pro-life work, I have no doubt God would have honored that obedience and if his calling was truly to be elsewhere would have made a path for him. But he didn't. He defied multiple bishops and did an end-run around them to the Vatican, which was successful for a while. I have no idea what happened that the Vatican reversed course. But nothing I read indicated he was ever asked to do anything immoral, which is the only reason I believe a priest can legitimately not honor their vow of obedience to their bishop.

 

[Valletta]

As we all know, the hierarchy is not always right. There is quite the double standard here imo. I’ll wait and see how it plays out. I’m not ready to burn Fr. Pavone at the stake yet.

Father Pavone has not yet been notified, he is still saying masses, and supposedly the Vatican acted in early November.

 

[Michie]

Father Pavone has not yet been notified, he is still saying masses, and supposedly the Vatican acted in early November.

Fr. Pavone cancelled mass according to CNA.

Frank Pavone cancels Mass but vows legal action after Vatican dismisses him from priesthood

In a Dec. 13 letter to U.S. bishops, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the United States, wrote that the prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy issued the decision to dismiss Pavone from the priesthood.

www.catholicnewsagency.com

 

[Not of the World]

Trump admitted he never asked God for forgiveness.

Do you think Joe Biden has ever asked God for forgiveness and then repented?

 

[zippy2006]

After years of discernment and study, he made the decision, and before God, a promise of obedience to his bishop. If his priority was fighting abortion, and not doing what the Church asked, he should never have done that.

Right: the Church asks us to promote homosexuality and support the Democrats with Fr. James Martin, not to fight abortion and support the Republicans with Fr. Frank Pavone. Pavone's error wasn't engaging in politics, it was backing the wrong political party in a Church which favors the left.

He is not being persecuted. This was decided by the Church.

If you think the Church has never persecuted anyone I would recommend checking out a history book from your local library.

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear Fide,

Thank you for your gift from God, of a clear understanding of God's Truth as He speaks to us through the Scripture. It is sad to read words of others who seem not to be Listening with the ears of their hearts. May God help us to remain faithful to Him, by the power of His Holy Spirit sent to us. Amen.

 

[fide]

Dear Fide,

Thank you for your gift from God, of a clear understanding of God's Truth as He speaks to us through the Scripture. It is sad to read words of others who seem not to be Listening with the ears of their hearts. May God help us to remain faithful to Him, by the power of His Holy Spirit sent to us. Amen.

Thank you, MariaChristi. Dear St. Augustine got it right a very long time ago. It is amazing how litle things change, over the centuries of human history! There are ultimately two cities, and only two, between which men are divided: the heavenly city - the City of God, and the earthly city - the city of man. The chasm separating the two has never been deeper. Jesus created a Bridge whereby persons can pass from the one, the city of darkness and death, over to the other, the City of life and of light. That Bridge is His Cross. Passage is free, and yet also it costs everything.

 

[chevyontheriver]

I’ve looked into this, and it seems like it’s an accurate report. If anyone has any different information, please let me know. The Vatican is now referring to him as Mr. Frank Pavone.

Here is a CNA (Catholic News Association), article confirming that the Vatican has laicized Fr. Pavone.

#BREAKING | Vatican dismisses Father Frank Pavone from priesthood

See also National Catholic Register BREAKING: Vatican Dismisses Father Frank Pavone From Priesthood

If this is the case, and unless they give some pretty good reasons, I consider this way too the extreme. Who knows what the ramifications of this will be. If there IS a case against Fr. Pavone which we are not privy to, it should be revealed. And why was he laicized in early November and never told (according to what we know), and why did he have to learn it through the media over a month later?

This seems like a cowardly and dishonest way to deal with a priest.

Fr. James Martin and the German bishops get special meetings with the pope, and Fr. Pavone gets removed from the priesthood?

The “charges” mentioned by CNA and other news outlets is “dismissed from the clerical state for ‘blasphemous communications on social media’ and ‘persistent disobedience of the lawful instructions of his diocesan bishop‘.”

According to the definition of “blasphemy” in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, I find it hard to see how this could be applied to Fr. Pavone, and even if they do have something unknown to us, isn’t there a middle way to deal with it? Maybe a sabbatical or period of time of restriction and counseling?

The Grindr priest is back in ministry. Fr Pavone must have been MUCH worse. I really wonder, aside from the wrong politics, what he actually did that was so bad. The disputes with his bishops seemed to be canonical procedural matters where he would appeal to Rome and win.!I suspect a new appointment is the issue there.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

When God calls a man to be a priest in His name, his obedience is first to God. Obedience is not subservience. If obedience is bent to be blind and defined by mere authority structure alone, then it is no longer a virtue, unfitting to the name Body of Christ. Such "obedience" ought to be not only hard, but impossible to a man of God. Ordination does not replace conscience.

Obedience to the Bishop is obedience to God.

Humility is necessary for obedience to be Holy.

 

[Michie]

Canon Lawyer on Father Pavone’s Dismissal from Priesthood: Only the Pope Can Issue a Decision Without Appeal​

Pavone, 63, is the longtime national director of the pro-life organization Priests for Life who is well-known for his pro-life activism, politically charged social media posts, and public support of former president Donald Trump.

On Nov. 9, Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung Sik, Prefect for the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Clergy, dismissed Father Frank Pavone from the priesthood for “blasphemous communications on social media” and “persistent disobedience of lawful instructions of his diocesan bishop.”

The decree, shared with U.S. bishops in a letter dated Dec. 13 written by the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, precludes any possibility of appeal.

Pavone, 63, is the longtime national director of the pro-life organization Priests for Life who is well-known for his pro-life activism, politically charged social media posts, and public support of former president Donald Trump.

Pavone’s sudden laicization has shocked many Catholics and pro-life advocates. It also raises a host of still-unanswered questions about his case. Among them: What are the specific canonical crimes with which Pavone was charged? And when, and how, was he notified he is no longer a priest? Pavone, for his part, claims that he had no prior notification about the Vatican’s action until contacted by CNA on Dec. 17. Is this plausible?

To better understand the Church laws and judicial processes involved in cases such as this, CNA sought the expertise of Father Gerald E. Murray, a canon lawyer and the pastor of Holy Family Church in New York City who is a regular contributor to EWTN’s The World Over with Raymond Arroyo.

Continued below.

Canon Lawyer on Father Pavone’s Dismissal from Priesthood: Only the Pope Can Issue a Decision Without Appeal

Pavone, 63, is the longtime national director of the pro-life organization Priests for Life who is well-known for his pro-life activism, politically charged social media posts, and public support of former president Donald Trump.

www.ncregister.com

 

[Michie]

Frank Pavone Cancels Mass But Vows Legal Action After Vatican Dismisses Him From Priesthood

Pavone has continued to celebrate Mass since the Vatican's communication, including a Mass, streamed online Saturday.

www.ncregister.com

 

[Michie]

This latest development from the Vatican is the result of an abusive process to which I have been objecting for years and which has lacked both transparency and common sense.

Fr. Pavone's message to Pope Francis: 'I want to continue serving as a faithful priest' - LifeSite

This latest development from the Vatican is the result of an abusive process to which I have been objecting for years and which has lacked both transparency and common sense.

www.lifesitenews.com

 

[Michie]

Please: Be careful — prayerful — about how you react to the news about Father Frank Pavone now becoming Mr. Frank Pavone by order of the Vatican. Try not to see it through a political lens. Step away of any opinions you may have of the Roman pontiff. Know that abortion is the human-rights issue of our time. The priest who ran Priests for Life is still capable of creating an untenable circumstance for himself to continue as a priest.

My first reaction was shock on Saturday night as the news broke. I knew he was in trouble, but I didn’t know he was in “Mr. Pavone” kind of trouble. I knew there were things going on in Rome, but, again, you pray that someone who has his heart in the right place would find someone who would help navigate the rough waters, some of which he got himself into.

Because he had become so focused on political advocacy, he had lost some of the foundation of his vocation. A diocesan priest is under obedience to his bishop. Every priest is in a similar situation. A religious priest is under obedience of a religious superior. But from every observation, Pavone did not want to be under obedience of a diocesan bishop.

You can just go through some of his Twitter files to find examples of Pavone not being pastoral but being a political activist. There was the blasphemy of using an aborted baby as a prop on what was clearly an altar, even if it wasn’t a consecrated one, as Pavone has contended.

Continued below.

The Frank Pavone story is not about abortion

On Saturday evening, news broke that Frank Pavone, the head of Priests for Life, had been laicized by the Vatican

www.oursundayvisitor.com

 

[Michie]

Former priest Frank Pavone says Vatican did not contact him

Former Catholic priest Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, said he was not told directly by the Vatican that he has been laicized.

www.oursundayvisitor.com

 

[Michie]

From 2011:

Father Pavone's last stand

More than three years ago, readers on this site received fair warning that Father Frank Pavone was cruising toward a showdown with officials in the Diocese of Amarillo. Read the comment by Diogenes from August 2008, and you will find the simmering conflict neatly summarized, many months before...

www.catholicculture.org

 

[Michie]

All I CAN SAY AT THIS POINT IS WHAT A MESS AND A TRAGEDY THIS IS AND NOT JUST FOR THIS PRIEST BUT FOR THE PRO-LIFE MOVEMENT WHICH IS AN ECUMENICAL MOVEMENT TOO

Just this morning a permanent deacon said to me that a pro-choice Catholic came to him gloating about what has happened to Frank Pavone. H...

southernorderspage.blogspot.com

 

[Michie]

BOMBSHELL: small fry, fried, while BIGGER FISH swim freely….

This rather shocking development will do nothing to heal the polarization going on in the USA and elsewhere often indicated by political pol...

southernorderspage.blogspot.com

 

[chevyontheriver]

Do you think Joe Biden has ever asked God for forgiveness and then repented?

PLEASE don't bring Joe and The Donald into this thread. It is contentious enough as it is. Whether either of them wants to repent or not is a subject for our prayers and not argumentation.