Deserved or Undeserved?

01-08-2023Pastor's LetterFr. John Bonavitacola

Dear Friends,

Many of you have asked me about the case of Frank Pavone, lately a priest. He is the founder of the Prolife group, Priests for Life. In November he was permanently removed from the priesthood by the Vatican, in a case that was ruled “without appeal”. That sort of final ruling could only be issued by the Pope. The case is disturbing, though not surprising and leaves more questions than answers.

The case is disturbing because the ruling is the ultimate sanction against a priest. Removal from the priesthood is the most severe of judgements. It leaves me wondering why all other options were excluded, including temporary restriction of ministry, or allowing him to work under another Bishop (there were several who were willing to take him into their Diocese)? I say it is not surprising because, Pavone had a very long, public, acrimonious, and combative relationship with his Bishop (the Diocese of Amarillo). From what I know he did not help himself with his ego and attitudes. At some point he should have realized that a Bishop holds three Aces and that some bishops are cutthroat players. His Bishop wanted him to work in the Diocese and not as the head of a national organization, he considered some of his social media posts as blasphemous and strongly objected to the partisan (political) nature of his positions. You can read Pavone’s explanations and defense on the Priest for Life website.

The unanswered questions come from the fact that while Frank Pavone has stated his version of events, little has come from the Vatican or his Bishop, which makes it hard to determine what exactly went on in this case or if there is more to it that we just don’t know. In previous disputes with his Bishop, Pavone appealed to the Vatican, who ruled in his favor. Since a dismissal without appeal had to have Papal approval, I wonder if he was afforded due process? Additionally, the grounds for dismissal are not typical grounds for removal from the priesthood. Is there more to them? Again, we just don’t know.

Still another side of this should be considered. Founders of impactful movements often get embroiled in controversy, sometimes they go down in flames, whether through their own actions or that of others. The reason for that is that they carry the ‘Prophet’s curse”. That is, that they see things with a pure, intense vision that the rest of us don’t see. Which makes them incapable of any sort of compromise and therefore they are often seen as difficult, unbending, arrogant and threats to the status quo. Insisting that a prophet “shut up” is akin to expecting a lion not to roar. Prophets warn us that the Flood is coming, and we should prepare. But we scoff at them, insist they be quiet and when they don’t, we find ways to silence them. For Pavone, the dismemberment and murder of babies in their mother’s womb, was not an abstraction nor an issue that could be prettied up, glossed over or just mixed in with other moral atrocities. It demands our full attention.

During Advent we heard the stories of John the Baptist. His bluntness and lack of diplomacy with Herod, got him beheaded. Or more to our times, Martin Luther King Jr, was seen as a troublemaker, particularly to Christians in the South, who accused him of bringing politics into the Church, he was heavily investigated, and maligned by the FBI, accused of all sorts of inappropriate behaviors, and finally assassinated. Padre Pio, was restricted from ministry, accused of immoral behavior, and investigated multiple times by the Vatican. St. Faustina was viewed as illiterate whose Divine Mercy devotions were considered the product of an overly pious imagination. In all these cases whether it was out of jealousy, threats to the power structure, or accusations of being too political, they ended up on the wrong side of the powers that be and suffered at their hands. Prophets make us all uncomfortable, which is exactly why we need them and exactly why we kill them.

In the case of Frank Pavone, it is too early to tell whether his case is a monstrous injustice or a correction that will save his soul. History will determine whether he is vilified or vindicated. It is just too soon to tell.

In your charity, please pray for him and pray that the Prolife movement he started, that saved so many unborn children from abortion and brought healing to untold numbers of post-abortive mothers will continue to conduct the work of upholding the dignity of all human life.

Love, Fr. John B.

PS My deepest thanks to all who kindly filled my Christmas stocking with goodies, gifts, and generosity! I am most grateful!

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