Overview
What it covers is the Vatican (a city in Rome) has modified or removed prominent anti-abortion and political activist Frank Pavone from the priesthood. The Vatican’s ambassador in Washington instructed U.S. bishops in a December 13th letter reported on Saturday night by Catholic News Agency (CNA) and published online on Sunday by The Associated Press.
Pavone is a national director of the group known as Priests for Life, but from now onwards, he can no longer present himself as a Catholic priest or administer the communion.” no possibility of appeal,” the letter states.
Although the letter does not detail what led the Vatican to defrock Pavone on November 9th, it includes a statement receding that he was “found guilty in canonical proceedings of blasphemous communications on social media and persistent disobedience of the lawful instructions of his diocesan bishop.”
Previous designation of Father Pavone
Pavone was also a campaign mentor to former President Donald Trump in 2016 as well as 2020 and has also questioned President Biden’s success. “Pavone’s Twitter handle still features him wearing a ‘MAGA’ hat with a backdrop photo of former President Donald Trump,” AP notes.
About the confession on Social Media
Further, he suggested that his punishment originated according to a part from a 2020 tweet in which he condemned “supporters of this goddamn loser Biden and his morally corrupt, America-hating, God-hating Democrat party.”
“I used the word G-D in response to a random person in a tweet, and for that, they want to flip me out of the priesthood,” Pavone mentioned in a live social media broadcast on Saturday night.
But Pavone has contended with his bishops, including Bishop Patrick Zurek of Amarillo, Texas, and late Cardinal Edward Egan of New York, for over 20 years. Zurek suspended Pavone in 2011, but later, Pavone appealed on the dubious allegation and won.
The final verdict
After Pavone tweeted in 2020 that he would not regulate absolution to Catholics who voted Democratic, the Diocese of Amarillo stated that “Pavone’s postings are not consistent with Catholic Church teachings,” “And please disregard them and pray for Father Pavone,” he added.
CNN reported that Pavone celebrated his victory on Saturday and canceled the mass on Sunday. He also said that the inquiry about the laicization was the first statement that came to him before the letter that stated defrocking was not the dedicated subject to appeal; instead, he would have appealed to the next pope or the people of God.
“Since Priests for Life Incorporation(Inc.) is no longer a Catholic organization, Mr. Pavone will continue the role in it as a lay person, which would be entirely up to the leadership of that organization.”
