Father Frank Pavone, the heroic pro-life activist and national director of the organization Priests for Life, has been dismissed, or "canceled," by the Vatican for "blasphemous communications on social media" and "persistent disobedience of the lawful instructions of his diocesan bishop."
Pavone has always been a major supporter of President Donald Trump.
It's outrageous! I have known Father Pavone for many years. He is single-minded on abortion. It's horrendous that the Vatican would treat him like this.
"I've been persecuted in the church for decades, decades. This is nothing new for me," he told Catholic News Agency. "They just don't like the work I'm doing for these babies."
It was initiated when he used the word "goddamn" in a tweet in 2020.
"I used the word G-D in a response to somebody in a tweet and for that they want to throw me out of the priesthood," he said.
Pavone's defrocking comes months after the U.S. pro-life movement achieved a landmark victory when the Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey.
CNA, or the Catholic News Agency, reported: "Pavone hosted the show 'Defending Life' on EWTN for many years until the bishop of Amarillo, Texas, revoked Pavone's permission to appear on the network. EWTN is the parent organization of CNA."
Pavone has served as the pro-life organization's national director since 1993.
"We all expect that the pro-abortion groups, like Planned Parenthood, will target, harass and try to intimidate us. And they do try," he wrote. "But when such treatment comes from bishops and other Church authorities – which it increasingly does – it's particularly deplorable.
"Instead of supporting and encouraging the pro-life work of the Church, some of these men try to obstruct and hinder it, and abuse their authority to try to intimidate priests and laity who make ending abortion the top priority of our lives."
CNA notes that Pavone has been at odds with Bishop Patrick J. Zurek in Amarillo since the latter became bishop there in 2008. In 2011, Zurek publicly suspended Pavone, though Pavone later had the suspension overruled by the Vatican.
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. Catholic Canon law forbids clerics from having an active role in political parties unless they receive the permission of their bishop.
"I have always said to pro-life activists that if you defend the unborn, you will be treated like them," said Pavone. "Just like their very being and legitimacy is denied, so will yours be. Just as they are excluded and mistreated, so will you be. ..."
He added: "Cancel culture is alive and well in the Catholic Church. I've experienced it firsthand. And the more we are aware of it, the better we will be able to defend ourselves and others from it."
via wnd