Frank Pavone, a pro-life American priest, has been excommunicated by the Vatican for what it described as “blasphemous messages on social media” and “continuous disobedience” of his bishop.
In a letter to American bishops that was obtained on Sunday, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the ambassador of the Vatican to the United States, stated that the decision against Pavone, the leader of the pro-life organization Priests for Life, had been made on November 9 and that there was no chance for an appeal.
His former diocese in Amarillo, Texas, has looked into Pavone for placing an aborted fetus on an altar and sharing a video of it on two social media platforms in 2016.
He routinely blogs on American politics and abortion, and the post with the video of the aborted fetus said that Donald Trump and the Republican program desire to protect unborn children while Hillary Clinton and the Democratic platform would allow abortion to continue.
Pavone continues to be a steadfast supporter of Trump. His Twitter handle features him donning a “MAGA” hat with a picture of the former American president in the background. Many conservatives applaud him for nominating justices to the Supreme Court who overturned the landmark ruling that established a constitutional right to abortion in the United States.
Pavone sounded belligerent in a post on Sunday, equating his fate with that of the unborn.
“So in every profession, including the priesthood, if you defend the #unborn, you will be treated like them! The only difference is that when we are “aborted,” we continue to speak, loud and clear.”
His supporters promptly criticized the proposal, including Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas, who called Vice President Joe Biden’s advocacy for abortion rights “evil.”
“The blasphemy is that this holy priest is cancelled while an evil president promotes the denial of truth & the murder of the unborn at every turn, Vatican officials promote immorality & denial of the deposit of faith & priests promote gender confusion devastating lives…evil,” Strickland tweeted.
The Amarillo bishop had imposed limitations on Pavone’s ministry in 2011. Pavone had appealed to the Vatican on the limits, won an easing of the limitations, and relocated outside of Texas while continuing to be active with Priests for Life.
Pavone was found guilty in a canonical proceeding of “blasphemous communications on social media and of persistent disobedience of the lawful instructions of his diocesan bishop,” according to Pierre’s letter, which cited information from the Congregation for Clergy. Pavone has since been laicized, meaning he can no longer present himself as a priest. Catholic News Agency was the first to report on the letter.
According to the statement, Pavone had “ample opportunity to defend himself” in addition to being allowed to submit to his bishop. It was found that Father Pavone’s conduct lacked any plausible basis.
Since Priests for Life is not a Catholic institution, the group would have to decide if he could remain in his position “as a lay person,” according to the statement’s conclusion.
Laicization, or becoming a lay person, is one of the most severe penalties allowed by church canon law.
