The web has been filled with breathless accounts of Father Frank Pavone’s great victory over his bishop in Amarillo. Lifesitenews recently reported on the situation with characteristic balance:
Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life has not been suspended, said the Vatican’s Congregation for Clergy in May, but his bishop has the right to assign him duties outside his pro-life ministry, according to the Diocese of Amarillo.
Amarillo Bishop Patrick Zurek reported that the Vatican body granted at least a partial victory for the Priests for Life leader, who had petitioned Rome for clarification after Zurek announced that he had “suspended” Fr. Pavone last September.
According to the diocese, the Vatican clarified that Pavone was not canonically suspended, and remains a priest in good standing. However, the statement from the Vatican also apparently re-asserted Zurek’s authority to appoint Pavone chaplain of a religious community in Amarillo.
“In its decree of May 18, 2012, the Congregation for the Clergy has sustained Father Frank A. Pavone’s appeal of his suspension from ministry outside the Diocese of Amarillo and his appointment from me on October 4, 2011, as Chaplain of the Disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ in Channing, Texas. Father Pavone is to continue his ministry as chaplain until further notice,” said Zurek in a June 20 statement.
“As a gesture of good will, I will grant permission to him in individual cases, based upon their merits, to participate in pro-life events with the provision that he and I must be in agreement beforehand as to his role and function,” the bishop stated. “All other matters are outside the purview of this statement.”
In its own statement, Priests for Life (PFL) lauded the Vatican statement that “Father Pavone is not now nor has ever been suspended.” However, like Zurek’s statement, the ministry’s words indicated that the affair had yet to be resolved, and that PFL would continue to seek enough freedom to pursue pro-life ministry.
Read the rest here.
So, the Congregation’s decision has simply clarified the situation as it has existed all along. Bishop Zurek has the right to assign Father Pavone anywhere he, in his discretion as Bishop, deems appropriate. Father Pavone was suspended from his ability to perform his public duties as head of Priests for Life, but was never suspended from his priestly faculties in his home diocese of Amarillo, a point made by his diocese early on.
Bishop Zurek has made it clear that Father Pavone’s pro-life activities and appearances outside of the diocese remain subject to his approval.
Judging from the vile commentary on the web by pro-lifers, commentary aimed at Bishop Zurek and the rest of the U.S. Bishops, this victory is for pro-lifers a Pyrrhic victory at best. Such commentary is not only short-sighted, it is blurry as well. It fails to grasp where we are in the abortion battle, and the larger battle regarding religious liberty. It is divisive, to say the least, and will come back to haunt us in the not-too-distant future.
If, as many opine, the bishops have been largely absent from the field in the battle against abortion, this sad episode involving Father Pavone has done nothing but to further estrange the activist wing of the movement from the bishops. From the outset I wrote that this was a private matter of accountability of a priest to his bishop and that everyone needed to give these two men the time and face-saving space they needed to resolve matters.
In truth, one couldn’t blame the bishops for resolving to steer clear of pro-life activists, especially in light of some of the hit pieces that were produced and distributed on the web. If Bishop Zurek, or any bishop, hears concerns raised about one of his priests and that priest’s stewardship of large sums of money, he is obligated to investigate to his satisfaction. If such investigation is simply used to persecute a priest, Rome has Canon laws, Congregations, and Courts to see that justice is done.
Priests in turn have a duty to be not only obedient, but respectful to their Bishops. That duty flows from the solemn vows of respect and obedience that they registered in Heaven on their ordination day.
Father Pavone and I are about the same age. Realistically, we will not see the end of abortion in our lifetime, and anyone who believes otherwise must be reading some other world’s newspapers.
The truth of the matter is that abortion is growing, not diminishing. Chemical abortions are on the rise everywhere.
The truth is that abortion and sterilization are a part of our national healthcare.
The truth is that billionaires such as Bill and Melinda Gates support population control, which continues to spread worldwide.
The truth is that euthanasia is on the rise around the world, with physician-assisted suicide gaining in every corner.
The truth is that in vitro fertilization and surrogate motherhood continue to rise in popularity and spread across the globe.
The truth is that we live in an age of eugenics which eclipses the eugenics of the mid-twentieth century.
The truth is that religious freedom of Christians and tolerance of Christianity are in decline globally, including on our college campuses and in our government. We are living in an age of red martyrdom which eclipses that of the first three centuries of the Church in size and numbers.
The truth is that marriage has collapsed in every developed nation on the planet, and is actively being redefined.
Now, more than ever, we need our bishops and clergy to stand with us on ALL of these issues. It isn’t just the Church which is in peril. Western Civilization has imploded and a new Dark Age encroaches. Perhaps not everyone can see this yet because we live in the last well-lit corner of the world, though that light is going out rapidly.
What happened in Amarillo served nobody well. It was a circus, and one which Father Pavone advised against. The measure of one’s Catholicism is not the degree of one’s pro-life activism, but as Paul instructs us in 1 Thess. 5, regarding the bishops:
12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Not only will we not see the end of abortion anytime soon, we will see the end of our religious freedom as we’ve known it as well unless we unite as one Church. That didn’t happen in Amarillo, as many of Father Pavone’s supporters, against his advice and stated wishes, engaged in a orgy of frustration and even outright hatred for the bishops. There are a great many other assaults on human freedom and dignity apart from abortion, most of which are equally deadly. We need the bishops with us on those issues, too.
It’s time for the bishop-bashers within the Church to cease and desist. Seeing the Amarillo circus, no bishop in his right mind would want to risk that show arriving on his doorstep. Anger is one of the seven deadly sins, and the fractious, alienating rage at the bishops may well cost countless lives when all is said and done.
Father Pavone is a good man and a good priest who has done what few before him have had the courage to do. He won’t be the last. Like the Exodus generation in the desert, I don’t think he, or any of us, will live to see the promised land. We’re now fighting this war without any of the pillars of Western Civilization as supports, and with increasingly diminishing Constitutional protections.
We’re in this for the long haul, and we won’t get there without our bishops. What will get us there is a mature Catholicism characterized by Paul’s admonition to the Thessalonians 2,000 years ago.
Coming Home 
I hear you. I understand what you’re saying. What I”m confused about is what is the role of the laity when the Bishops are literally undermining the work and laws of the One True Church? In your opinion, why are we to be silent when (after 40 yrs) many Bishops and Priests have done nothing but undermine the true teachings of the church and have led us to this disgraceful crossroad of martyrdom? If we read the saints and their lives, not all were obedient because obedience to their priest or bishop would have meant disobedience to the Lord. What is the answer? I’m sorry, but your commentary seems like an all encompassing white flag to the laity, but what have you done to challenge and hold accountable our leaders? The leaders who have disgraced our Lord on every level…
Lucy,
I lead by example. I get involved and then speak in private with bishops with the authority that comes from being battle-scarred. There is a great big difference between exhorting and even admonishing our bishops as laity and the sort of vile commentary aimed at them by many in the pro-life movement.
If many bishops and priests won’t teach, then we need to stand in the breach. God calls us to action. This isn’t the world of 100 years ago. We are a literate and highly educated laity. I started a blog, and a half-million readers 2 1/2 years later, the truth is going out there, thanks in no small measure to the teaching of the Magisterium, which is readily available to all online.
No white flag to the laity here. I say that people need to read, take classes, get advanced degrees, blog, speak… And I believe that I’ve been leading in every regard. For those who have failed in their marriages, failed in regard to abortion, birth control, whatever… go to confession and then get back in the game. None of us is perfect, and all have sinned. God’s forgiveness and mercy pave the way for us to evangelize from hard-won experience.
But there is no room for castigating the bishops as has been done in the case of Father Pavone.
The only thing I would say is that it isn’t the pro-life activists (the majority of them) who are hurting the pro-life movement it is bishops like Bishop Zurek who are hurting the pro-life movement. Otherwise I agree with your points.
If, as many opine, the bishops have been largely absent from the field in the battle against abortion, this sad episode involving Father Pavone has done nothing but to further estrange the activist wing of the movement from the bishops.
Bingo!
This has been one of my concerns all along. The pro-life movement needs all hands on deck, not just one set of hands.
Fr. Pavone and Bishop Zurek need time and space to let their differences work through the system, without a circus.
Who exactly has been castigating the bishops on this? I read the article on Lifesitenews and while many of the comments are supportive of Fr. Pavone, exceedingly few even mention Bishop Zurek at all, much less are critical of him, even mildy. Most that do express some degree of confusion.There are exceptions of course, but these are the exception rather than the rule. Many of us do remember however, how Bishop Zurek made unsubstantiated accusations of Fr. Pavone’s alleged lack of cooperation with his inquiries into PFL’s finances, which was the original reason Bishop Zurek gave for ordering Fr. Pavone back to Amarillo. These accusations were then and are now, demonstrably false. It is not a defect in charity to note this. To the contrary, the reverse is true.
Thank you. A charitable and honest post. It is very sad to see the rush to calumny and rash judgment that some of the faithful employ every time this kind of thing happens.
God bless you.
Thank you. A charitable and honest article. It is so sad to see some of the faithful rush to calumny and rash judgement when these kinds of things happen.
God Bless you~
Excellent analysis and commentary, Gerry, as always. I agree 100%. Sharing this around!
Fr. Pavone carried himself with characteristic grace and dignity. His statements initially were emotional, but one could certainly understand his confusion. His obedience spoke volumes about his love for vocation and for life. The mission continued, he stayed put until a final verdict was leveled. The bishop for whatever reasons, whether we believe them to be authentic or not (because we don’t know the whole story), made his decision to table Fr. Pavone for a certain period of time, and after the proper channels were followed, he was returned to his position. This is the way the hierarchy is meant to work. God bless the bishop for caring enough for his priest to question something he thought was suspect; God bless Fr. Pavone for his humility in recognizing the right of his bishop to do so. It has all worked together for the good for those who love God.
How’s that audit going that BZ was going to do on PFL?
Dr. Nadal,
I don’t know why my husband and I have been discussing this very issue lately, but I appreciate the timing of your post. You are absolutely right in saying that we need to be united with our bishops, and in the end, Fr. Pavone needs to happily and humbly obey his bishop. I appreciate that you pointed out that’s what he did, and that it was his avid supporters who spoke out against Bishop Zurek. In the wake of Fr. Corapi, the celebrity priest is a very delicate position! I wonder if we’ll ever hear the exact truth about what happened in Amarillo, but until we do we need to stop pointing fingers and being negative. The internet is such a blessing and a curse…
Best,
Brice Griffin
Phlogiston,
I suggest that you look up the articles on Jill Stanek’s site, for openers, and read the comments. As for Bishop Zurek having made unsubstantiated allegations, you are way off base. Go back and read his statements. He speaks of responding to several complaints from several sources over a period of time. He isn’t conducting his inquiry in a public manner, and neither you, nor I knows what he has found or not found.
If he were to conduct the inquiry in public, then he would be denounced for not giving Father Pavone the decency and dignity of a private hearing and trying him in the media. So, Bishop Zurek can’t win. AGAIN, the only solution is to recognize Bishop Zurek’s right to do what he thinks is just. If he acts unjustly, the Church has ample mechanisms for priests to appeal a perceived injustice to other bishops and in the Canonical courts.
In respecting the bishops, in this case Bishop Zurek, pro-life priests can’t lose, nor can the pro-life movement.
But to reiterate a point, Bishop Zurek doesn’t answer to you or me. He answers to God, first through those that God has appointed in authority over him, and ultimately at the last judgement, as will we all. We laity do well to remember this and not undercut the authority of the bishops out of frustration or misplaced love of our leaders.
Nevermind the bishop, where,s the apology to Fr. Lavonne?
I am a regional coordinator for Silent No More and am involved in the post abortion healing retreat, Rachel’s Vineyard. While respecting Bishop Zurek and his position on his issues concerning Father Frank I know from experience that this drawn out process has hurt both these ministries. Father Frank and Priests For Life oversees and supports both entities.At a time when thousands of women and men are coming out of the darkness to seek healing and reconciliation with the Church…this hurts. Not to give the enemy any credit but he knows that when everyone who has had an abortion finally stands up and says..hey this is wrong and it hurts everyone..I want my life back..then this divisive issue will be over. I for one pray that this will come to an end sooner than later. There are lives and souls at at stake.
i understand GN’s premise of unity with our bishops, it is scriptural. However, one must admit much of the evils (contraception, abortion, IVF, euthanasia, population control, eugenics, homosexuality, same-sex marriage, fornication, etc.) in our country have come through silence and inaction of our bishops (until lately with the HHS mandate). When evil exists as Christians we are also called to do something.
When was the last time you have heard a strong homily against any of these evils? Or have you ever heard one? Is the laity at fault for this silence? The priests? It really goes right up the hierarchal chain to the bishop. The buck stops there. GN;s article asks us to roll over, play dead and let the ineffectual bishops continue their ostrich-like approach to all these evils. It hasn’t worked in 50 years and as GN says won’t work in the near future. “Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results.” ― Albert Einstein
Doesn’t anybody else wonder why we needed an organization called “Priests for Life?” Shouldn’t all bishops and priests be “for Life?” The point is PFL was needed and Fr. Pavone was raised up like GN admits and “has done what few before him have had the courage to do.” Keeping him on a restricted leash like Bishop Z. is doing is definitely hurting our fight against abortion! Shame on him for allowing the evil enemy to continue their war without our top leader on the front lines where he is so desperately needed. And shame on GN for his appeasement.
How can we be united as a Church if our leaders won’t fight evil? Without our bishops and priests, we are fighting a losing battle.
Dear Dr. Nadal,
Bishop Zurek initailly stated, in pertinent part, “…These financial questions and concerns have persisted with no clear and adequate answers since the time when Father Pavone was under two previous bishop ordinaries. Since he has consistently refused to subject the PFL to a transparent and complete auditing of all expenditures, I have reasons to be alarmed at the potential financial scandal that might arise if it were the result of my failure to correct Father Pavone’s incorrigible defiance to my legitimate authority as his Bishop…” Fr. Pavone completely and entirely refuted this right from the beginning of this sorry affair. PFL has regularly been subjected to audits of its records, as a long-standing practice. There is no legitimate question regarding the finances of PFL. There has been no accusation of financial or other wrongdoing. In fact, I believe it was Fr. Pavone’s defense of his good name in pointing this out that initiated the calls for him to be “obedient” to the bishop.
As for Jill Stanek’s site, at the time of my writing this, I see 8 comments on her article regarding the Vatican decision. Two (and perhaps a third) are what I would call disrespectful of the bishop. Both are one sentence comments. That is hardly what I would call “vile commentary on the web by pro-lifers” creating a Phyrric victory for the cause.
I agree that Bishop Zurek answers to neither one of us. But by that same token, neither one of us has given him an oath of obedience. And if he (or any other bishop) expects young men who are called to the priesthood to give him such an oath, he should not act in a way that is uncharitable toward his priests.
Chris,
I don’t appease anyone, and I wrote a stemwinder of an open letter to Cardinal Dolan:
https://gerardnadal.com/2012/02/10/an-open-letter-to-cardinal-dolan-fight-for-your-flock/
The letter was very widely read and the link posted on the Cardinal’s own blog. Bishop Zurek has had questions that he felt were not answered to HIS satisfaction. In the end, HE must feel that the questions have been adequately addressed, not Father Pavone, you, me, or the whole pro-life movement. Zurek is the bishop, and the buck stops with him. I might add that Father Pavone has served as PFL director for several years under Bishop Zurek before the bishop acted. So that refutes the sublime suggestion by you that Bishop Zurek is one of those not-so-pro-life bishops you see out there.
Several superstar priests have crashed and burned for lack of proper oversight by their bishops, Father Corapi being the most recent victim. We can’t be simultaneously outraged at the lack of oversight of superstar priests and resentful of proper oversight.
“Incorigible defiance” are not the words a bishop choses as an opening gambit and suggest to the reader that the differences between the two men have been of some duration. As a priest Father Pavone is subject to the authority of his bishop, and I suspect this situation will only end when his bishop is satisfied that his concerns have all been properly assuaged. In the interim, I believe it monumentally unjust to castigate a bishop who has been supportive of Father Pavone as PFL’s director.
As for the rest of the bishops, beating the snot out of them might make pro-lifers feel good, but I’ve met scores of pro-lifers who have all the charitable forbearance of Ebenezer Scrooge. We have more than our fair share of them, and they kept me away from the movement for decades. As I said in the article, the issues facing us are so numerous, so daunting, that abortion is now a part of a much larger meltdown. We need the bishops with us, but smearing them isn’t the way to go.
The bishops have convicted themselves, not i. i repeat:
“How can we be united as a Church if our leaders won’t fight evil?
Without our bishops and priests, we are fighting a losing battle.”
Dear Gerard,
Well said!!! Our culture would be transformed if just Catholics were truly united behind the Church and the Magisterium, let alone all Christians being united for LIFE, TRUTH, and RELIGIOUS LIBERTY! Scripture is clear, if you have something against someone then you must go to them one-on-one first! Most people have absolutely no idea how difficult being a bishop is. He is attacked by his own clerical brothers (priests, deacons), laity, and the World. People have asked me about criticizing a priest. All of us should be open to criticism if we are truly humble, but Christians should only be doing so in order to “build” the body of Christ, not out of egotism or malice. So, I tell laity that they need to serve and develop a relationship first, and only then go to the priest one-on-one. What do you think about the withholding of money if one truly thinks a bishop is leading his flock astray?
Also, those who attack a bishop should consider the following canons:
Can. 1373 A person who publicly incites his or her subjects to hatred or animosity against the Apostolic See or the Ordinary because of some act of ecclesiastical authority or ministry, or who provokes the subjects to disobedience against them, is to be punished by interdict or other just penalties.
Can. 1374 A person who joins an association which plots against the Church is to be punished with a just penalty – one who promotes or takes office in such an association is to be punished with an interdict.
[…] Medjugorje »Dr. Gerard Nadal speaks the truth…July 18, 2012 By Mark Shea Leave a Comment…about the poison of bishop-bashing Folk Hero Worship that is rampant among self-proclaimed &#… And before you so much as think it, I am not speaking about Fr. Pavone, who has obeyed his bishop. […]
Dr. Nadal – In your response to Chris you make a statement that resonates with me greatly – “but I’ve met scores of pro-lifers who have all the charitable forbearance of Ebenezer Scrooge. We have more than our fair share of them, and they kept me away from the movement for decades.” I have been castigated in public because I do not attend the “Right to Life” gathering in Washington, nor attend “demonstrations” condemning abortion. I was told recently,”you’d rather work with the disabled kids, and their deadbeat parents, that no one cares about anyway rather than stop abortion”. This was from the individual in our parish who is in charge of our right to life programs, and in one sense she was right, at least with the kids and their parents I see not only the fruits of my labors, but have a a sense of living out at least a piece of the gospels.
We all fight against abortion in our own way. I firmly believe that by working with the kids who may have been aborted at one time or another, that I am demonstrating to the world that all life is valuable. That is how i fight abortion, but for many it is not good enough so I avoid our pro-life groups.
Dr N,
I wholeheartedly agree with your post and thank you for it. I have interacted with and had horrible (unfounded and unfair) accusations made against me by prolifers who seemed much more interested in winning the “I’m more prolife than you” game than in truth or charity.
Sir,
You quote holy Scripture, but you direct at the wrong indicidules. Abortion and all the rest would not be destroying out country and attacking God’s Church if many bishops and a lot of priests too did not abandon their moral authority, some fifty years ago.
AT one point there were 100 good priests out of service for what? Preaching God’s truth in their pulpits, blowing the whistle on bad guys or by conscience offering only the Extraordinary form of the MAss.
Father Pavone went through this before in 2001 in Ny, which is his home archdiocese and his priesthood was dedicated to protecting Life, bishops chnged and the new one did not want that. So he had friend in high places in rome than, having been loaned to Rome to set up PFL universally and he had a Cardinal in his corner. Unfortunately that good Cardinal has died. At the etime Father Pavone was in record time incardinated in Amerillo, because that bishop was so Pro-Life. Bishops change and so status changes. Another priost blew the whistle on abusive priests and for his efforts to protect God’s Chuch and people was suspeneded for years, last year he was layacised against his will, excommunicated and his Canon Lawyer advised that if he took the case further he would never work again. Another was made a Ph.D. and ignored, served a Chaplin for a while and was getting ready to leave the priesthood, but was delayed by his bishop, who did not want to lose a good priest. While waiting the man found the TLM, went to his bishop and was given the Blessing of his bishop. Bishops changed and the new bishop did everything he could to interfer with the priest. The adm. of the parish where he served refused to dismiss such a popular priest that had done nothing wrong. So Canon law was violated by notifying the Adm. prior to notifying the priest to stay home and offer his TLM. This went on till bishops were again changed. The priest was reinstated and given health insurance and no assignment. The reason, the retired bishop who did the dasteredly dead, withut regard to scandalized possibly lost souls remains. in the diocese. There seems to be no more accountablity for these bishops that are sestroying the Church. They do the devils work for him.
I have said and mean that whee the defense of Liberty is concerned I will not let daylight shine between them and me. When we have dealt with that question then I want to look them in the face and tell them, no all btw, that we would not have been in those circumstances if they had taught truth and enforced their moral authority,.
I’m curious. Does this article constitute “bishop bashing?” http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/u.s.-bishops-relief-agency-gives-5.3-million-to-major-contraception-provide
Dr. Nadal, what you fail (or refuse) to realize is that for centuries, bishops have acted in an arbitrary fashion, especially when their *secular* interests — not necessarily those of God Himself — are threatened (see clerical sex-abuse crisis). Bishops “obey” Canon Law (see Wuerl of D.C.) when it suits them, and nobody in the hierarchy — not even the Pope — has the temerity to call them on it.
The hierarchy has been so isolated from the lower clergy and laity for so long that the prelates have developed a sense of entitlement that permeates their ranks. Careerism is rampant, not faith — and the parameters of that careerism are defined by whatever trends the Church is currently experiencing. Moreover, the hierarchs have inculcated a sense of automatic deference in the lower clergy and laity — a deference that exploits and mocks St. Paul’s admonitions. Prelates are interested in their own egos, not the faithful.
Mr. LaRose, you want to know why bishops won’t fight against evil. They have become part of that evil. The Church centuries ago sacrificed its Petrine patrimony on the altar of power, money, secular influence, institutional arrogance and entitlement. St. Paul prophesied this, as well. People’s faith would grow cold and leaders would compromise with “the world.”
Read about the vision of Pope Leo XIII. Read anything from Malachi Martin. Read about St. Malachy’s prophecies about the papacy.
Divine judgement is coming on a Church that has gone faithless and apostate. Too many prelates — especially in Rome — are pledged to Satan. I’m very serious about that last point.
Those who fight against the evil serve God. Those who make excuses or minimalize it serve Satan.
This just in, U.S. Bishops’ relief agency gives $5.3 million to major contraception providing charity:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/u.s.-bishops-relief-agency-gives-5.3-million-to-major-contraception-provide
Just providing the facts for all to know.
“Noted theologian Dr. William Marshner told LifeSiteNews that he believes the CRS’ funding of CARE is ‘ghastly. Obviously this expenditure of funds on the part of Catholic Relief Services is an immoral use of the money,’ he said.”
Or maybe this is “bishop bashing”? http://www.catholicvote.org/discuss/index.php?p=33540
Phlogiston,
I think you’ve made your point. Stop beating dead horses.
Dr. Nadal, you forgot to mention this tiny bit of bishop-bashng:
“The floor of Hell is paved with the skulls of bishops,” St. John Chrysostom.
YOU GO, PHLOGISTON!
Vatican further supporting Fr. Pavone:
http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=47098