Pope Francis, Catholics, and Christians in the news & Bible verses

now this is interesting:

A well-known Catholic priest and incendiary leader of the anti-abortion movement was removed from the priesthood by the Vatican, according to a letter from Pope Francis’s representative to the United States that was obtained by The New York Times.

Frank Pavone, who leads the advocacy organization Priests for Life, and was once a religious adviser to former President Donald J. Trump, was dismissed from the clergy on Nov. 9 with no possibility of appeal, the letter states. The letter included a statement about the removal, called laicization, that it said was approved by the Dicastery for the Clergy, a Vatican office.

“This action was taken after Father Pavone was found guilty in canonical proceedings of blasphemous communications on social media, and of persistent disobedience of the lawful instructions of his diocesan bishop,” it states.

The letter did not specify those communications or disobedience, or name the diocesan bishop. Mr. Pavone did not reply to a request for comment.


https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253106/vatican-dismisses-father-frank-pavone-from-priesthood

"The statement refers to Pavone as 'Mr. Pavone' and calls him “a lay person,” underscoring the dramatic and immediate nature of the Vatican’s action."


nohero said:

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253106/vatican-dismisses-father-frank-pavone-from-priesthood

"The statement refers to Pavone as 'Mr. Pavone' and calls him “a lay person,” underscoring the dramatic and immediate nature of the Vatican’s action."

he was a real piece of work. Seems to me he should have been canceled a long time ago.


drummerboy said:

nohero said:

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253106/vatican-dismisses-father-frank-pavone-from-priesthood

"The statement refers to Pavone as 'Mr. Pavone' and calls him “a lay person,” underscoring the dramatic and immediate nature of the Vatican’s action."

he was a real piece of work. Seems to me he should have been canceled a long time ago.

They were trying but he was refusing to comply with earlier efforts, so they had to "go nuclear" on him.


A maverick’s story from the link…

“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," he added. "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.”

“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. The Amarillo Diocese did not respond to CNA's requests for comment prior to publication.

“Pavone’s political activism played a role in his problems in Amarillo.

”An outspoken supporter of former president Donald Trump, 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. Canon law forbids clerics from having an active role in political parties unless they receive the permission of their bishop.

“In November 2016, Pavone filmed a video at the Priests for Life headquarters, urging support for Trump. The video was staged with the body of an aborted baby laid before Pavone on what appeared to be an altar.

“Zurek said soon after the video’s release that he would open an investigation into the incident, calling it “against the dignity of human life” and “a desecration of the altar,” adding that “the action and presentation of Father Pavone in this video is not consistent with the beliefs of the Catholic Church.”

    “On his website, Pavone details his version of what happened in the video. He also has posted a transcript of what he said on the video.

    “Much of the criticism revolved around my having placed the baby on an "altar" and some started getting into technical complaints about what should or should not be done with an altar. But to the extent that they want to get technical, so can I, and I pointed out that this was a table in our office, not a consecrated altar in a chapel,” he wrote.

    “That table, sometimes used for Mass, was also the place where all my videos in this educational series of election broadcasts were made,” he continued. “In retrospect, I should have made the baby video in a different location so as to avoid any confusion to begin with.”



    Former Fr. Pavone is not taking it well. 

    By the way, he should change his handle on the Twitter.


    ridski said:

    I, uh…

    WTAF?

    Exactly.


    nohero said:

    Exactly.

    Hmmm, translation, please?


    mtierney said:

    nohero said:

    Exactly.

    Hmmm, translation, please?

    I was affirming Mr. Ridski’s stunned reaction. 


    As George W. Bush said to Michelle Obama after DJT's inauguration speech, that was some crazy ####.


    mtierney said:

    Hmmm, translation, please?

    I think you see a “maverick” whereas I see someone who needs serious mental health counseling. Oh, and a job now, to pay for that counseling.


    A priest really needs to be beyond the pale to be kicked out by the Vatican.

    The Vatican has stripped high-profile Catholic leader and antiabortion activist Frank Pavone of the priesthood, spurring further discord within the antiabortion movement in the wake of the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.
    Pavone was censured for “blasphemous communications on social media, and of persistent disobedience of the lawful instructions of his diocesan bishop,” according to a letter from Pope Francis’s representative to the United States obtained by the New York Times.
    Pavone, the national director of the group Priests for Life, has addressed the crowds at the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., and sits on the board of directors for the National Association of Christian Lawmakers (NACL). He also is a religious adviser to former president Donald Trump and has publicly questioned the results of the 2020 election.

    Trump adviser? That figures.

    “Father Frank Pavone has been nothing but honest, courageous and faithful to the ProLife cause from my perspective,” the NACL’s president, Jason Rapert, wrote in a message to The Post. “By what legitimate authority does the Vatican attempt to strip this man of his ministry anyway?”

    Let me guess. By the same authority that granted him ministry?

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/12/18/frank-pavone-antiabortion-priesthood-vatican/


    RTrent said:

    “Father Frank Pavone has been nothing but honest, courageous and faithful to the ProLife cause from my perspective,” the NACL’s president, Jason Rapert, wrote in a message to The Post. “By what legitimate authority does the Vatican attempt to strip this man of his ministry anyway?”

    Let me guess. By the same authority that granted him ministry?

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/12/18/frank-pavone-antiabortion-priesthood-vatican/

    Pavone asserted that he had the authority to, in essence, declare that someone was going to go to Hell because of politics.  He was perfectly happy when he was wielding what he considered the power of the Church as a sword.  


    Who knew the Vatican was such a bastion of wokeness?


    I fear for Mtierney's soul.

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/pope-warns-vatican-staff-elegant-095105727.html

    "

    Pope Francis warned Vatican bureaucrats on Thursday to beware the devil that lurks among them, saying it is an “elegant demon” that works in people who have a rigid, holier-than-thou way of living the Catholic faith."


    tjohn said:

    I fear for Mtierney's soul.

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/pope-warns-vatican-staff-elegant-095105727.html

    "

    Pope Francis warned Vatican bureaucrats on Thursday to beware the devil that lurks among them, saying it is an “elegant demon” that works in people who have a rigid, holier-than-thou way of living the Catholic faith."

    Pope Francis is a socialist, so was Jesus Christ. Somewhere in the translation, the rigidity of the “holier-than-thou” crowd believed both are conservatives…

    People who are rigid will eventually break. Have to keep your muscles and joints and brain flexible in life.


    https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/23/science/cathedral-st-john-divine-nyc.html

    The link above is a fascinating read about old Manhattan, construction, mystery, and religious fervor.

    Enjoy!


    So, you missed the whole Father Gigante update in yesterday's NY Times?


    nohero said:

    So, you missed the whole Father Gigante update in yesterday's NY Times?

    A family man in every sense.

    I took this an an uplifting story.  These days, when there's an article about how a priest loved children, it's usually something much darker.*

    But seriously, what a great example of conservative Catholicism.


    *  My bad.  

    I forgot about the multiple pedophilia charges against Father Gigante.

    LOL


    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64116624
    yes, we’re all aware that former Pope Benedict XVI is frail, elderly and unlikely to live for many more months. And yes, some of us are aware that he has discussed his funeral wishes with the current Pope Francis and the ‘camerlengo’, the Cardinal in charge of organising his funeral. 

    What most of us probably don’t realise is that guidelines for the current situation don’t exist (most Popes are dead when the new one is voted in), so even medieval rules aren’t much help. Interesting to see what will eventuate, given the current state of world politics, various war zones affecting religious diplomacy, etc. 


    joanne said:

    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64116624
    yes, we’re all aware that former Pope Benedict XVI is frail, elderly and unlikely to live for many more months. And yes, some of us are aware that he has discussed his funeral wishes with the current Pope Francis and the ‘camerlengo’, the Cardinal in charge of organising his funeral. 

    What most of us probably don’t realise is that guidelines for the current situation don’t exist (most Popes are dead when the new one is voted in), so even medieval rules aren’t much help. Interesting to see what will eventuate, given the current state of world politics, various war zones affecting religious diplomacy, etc. 

    I doubt we will see the same race to sainthood that we had with John Paul II.  Valuable lessons have been learned from that fiasco.


    And so it comes to pass. Benedict XVI ‘is sleeping’.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64107731


    mtierney said:

    Into the hands of God….

    https://www.nationalreview.com/news/pope-benedict-xvi-dies-at-95/

    Not bad for the National Review.  They waited until the sixth paragraph to start attacking Pope Francis.


    I should have known.  Pope Benedict's papacy was undone by Hillary Clinton, George Soros, and the Deep State.  I will await Mr. Surovell's explanation further enlightening us on this. 


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