VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican has defrocked an anti-abortion U.S. priest, the Rev. Frank Pavone, for what it said were “blasphemous communications on social media” in addition to “persistent disobedience” of his bishop.
A letter to U.S. bishops from the Vatican ambassador to the USA, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, obtained Sunday, said the choice against Pavone, who heads the anti-abortion group Priests for Life, had been taken Nov. 9, and that there was no probability for an appeal.
Pavone had been investigated for having placed an aborted fetus on an altar and posting a video of it on social media in 2016.
Pavone had been investigated by his then-diocese of Amarillo, Texas, for having placed an aborted fetus on an altar and posting a video of it on two social media sites in 2016. He posts incessantly about U.S. politics and abortion, and the video of the aborted fetus was accompanied by a post saying that Hillary Clinton and the Democratic platform would allow abortion to proceed and that Donald Trump and the Republican platform wish to protect unborn children.
Pavone stays a firm supporter of Trump: His Twitter handle features him wearing a “MAGA” hat with a background photo featuring the previous U.S. president, whom many conservatives praise for his Supreme Court nominees who overturned the landmark decision guaranteeing a constitutional right to abortion in the USA.
In a tweet Sunday, Pavone sounded defiant, comparing his fate to that of the unborn: “So in every occupation, including the priesthood, if you happen to defend the #unborn, you might be treated like them! The one difference is that once we are ‘aborted,’ we proceed to talk, loud and clear.”
His supporters immediately denounced the measure, including the bishop of Tyler, Texas, Joseph Strickland, who referred to U.S. President Joe Biden’s support for abortion rights as “evil.”
In a tweet Sunday, Pavone sounded defiant, comparing his fate to that of the unborn.
“The blasphemy is that this holy priest is canceled 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 religion & priests promote gender confusion devastating lives…evil,” Strickland tweeted.
Pavone had appealed to the Vatican over restrictions placed on his ministry in 2011 by the Amarillo bishop, succeeded in getting the restrictions eased, and relocated away from Texas while remaining energetic with Priests for Life.
In his letter, Pierre cited information from the Congregation for Clergy that Pavone had been laicized—he’s now considered a layperson and may now not present himself as a priest—after being found guilty in a canonical proceeding “of blasphemous communications on social media and of persistent disobedience of the lawful instructions of his diocesan bishop.” The letter was first reported by Catholic News Agency.
The statement said Pavone was given “ample opportunity to defend himself” in addition to to undergo his bishop. “It was determined that Father Pavone had no reasonable justification for his actions.”
The statement concluded that since Priests for Life will not be a Catholic organization, it will be as much as the group to find out whether he could proceed his role “as a lay person.”
