Tradcast Express
Father Frank Pavone. Frank Pavone is the founder and national director of an anti-abortion
organization in the United States called Priests for Life. He was ordained a priest for the Vatican
II Church in 1988 by Cardinal John O'Connor of New York, and now the Vatican has removed him
from the priesthood. He has been defrocked. Now, to avoid any confusion,
let me clarify something up front, and I will say it only once and then we'll get to the actual
issues. The ordination of Frank Pavone in 1988 was invalid. The reason is twofold. Number one,
because Pavone was ordained in the 1968 ordination rite of Paul VI, which is doubtful, but even more
so because the bishop who ordained him, John O'Connor, was not a valid bishop in the first
place.
And therefore was not capable of ordaining Pavone a priest. O'Connor was not a valid bishop because
he had been consecrated a bishop in 1979 in the new ordination rite of Paul VI, which,
unlike the priestly ordination rite, is not merely doubtful, but definitely invalid.
Therefore, Frank Pavone is neither a priest nor a deacon, since an invalid bishop can't ordain
a deacon either.
Now, I'm not saying this to slam or embarrass Pavone. It's not his fault. He's not to blame
for not having valid orders. I only want to mention this so candidly because in what follows,
I'm going to refer to Pavone as a priest, as Father Pavone, because as far as Pseudo-Pope
Francis and all the Novus Ordo authorities and the laws and the theology are concerned, he is
considered a valid priest. And what has happened is that he has been ordained a priest. And so,
what has happened since Saturday makes no sense unless you assume he was validly ordained in the
first place. So, having made that clear, I'm going to act now as if Pavone were a valid priest.
On Saturday, December 17, 2022, the Novus Ordo news site Catholic News Agency broke the story
that the Vatican had dismissed Father Pavone from the priesthood. Now, dismissing a priest from the
state and reducing him to the status of a layman is, as far as I know, the worst possible
vindictive punishment a priest can receive. Yes, there is also excommunication, but that's not a
vindictive punishment, which aims to make the offender pay for his crime. Excommunication is
a medicinal punishment, which only aims to get the offender to repent. And as soon as he does,
the excommunication is a medicinal punishment, which only aims to get the offender to repent.
Excommunication is lifted. Now, since priestly ordination is forever, though, because once
ordained, you cannot be unordained, just like once you're baptized, you can never be unbaptized again
because the sacrament conferred an unerasable mark on your soul. A priest can never become
a layman again in the proper ontological sense. So then, what does it mean to dismiss a priest
from the clerical state?
The proper term, by the way, is defrocking. It means that, although the priest in question
technically remains a priest and still possesses the sacramental powers that come with ordination,
nevertheless, he is to act and to be treated as if he were a layman. So, for example, he is
never again allowed to offer mass or hear confessions or to baptize except in the case of
the priest.
He is not allowed to present himself as a priest either. He is not allowed to wear priestly attire
or call himself father and so forth. So, this draconian punishment has apparently been imposed
on Father Pavone by the Vatican with the approval of Pope Francis. And I say apparently because
this is already where things get a bit odd. And I'll explain this in a moment.
But before I continue, let me say that in this whole drama about Father Pavone, I will assume
until there is evidence to the contrary that all parties are telling the truth, at least the truth
as they see it. I will assume that no one is lying, that no one is deliberately saying what
is false. Perhaps somebody is lying, but I don't know that and I cannot assume it. So, I will take
everything that is being said and take everything that is being said and take everything that is being
said at face value and not second guess it. All right. So, the day after Catholic News Agency
broke the story, the Associated Press provided a scanned copy of the nuncio's letter to the U.S.
bishops along with an attachment. And I'm going to read both now, which are not very long. The
letter is dated December 13th, 2022. Here's what it says. Quote,
Your Eminencies,
I have been informed by the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy that on the 9th of
November, 2022, a Supreme Decision admitting of no possibility of appeal directed that
Reverend Frank Pavone be dismissed from the clerical state. As you will know, Father Pavone
was a very public and high-profile figure associated with the Right to Life movement
in the U.S. His dismissal from the clerical state may therefore be considered a very public
matter of interest among the faithful. In anticipation of that potential interest,
the attached statement regarding Frank Pavone is provided for your information and for release
within your diocese or archdiocese as and if you deem appropriate. The attached statement has been
approved by the Dicastery for the Clergy. With cordial regards and every best wish, I remain
sincerely yours in Christ, Archbishop Christophe Pavone.
Now, the attachment reads as follows. Quote,
Statement on Frank Pavone.
Reverend Frank Pavone, the founder of the organization Priests for Life, Inc., was dismissed
from the clerical state by the Holy See on November 9th, 2022. This action was taken
after Father Pavone was found guilty in canonical proceedings of blasphemous communications on the
social media and of persistent disobedience of the lawful instructions of his diocesan bishop.
Father Pavone was given ample opportunity to defend himself in the canonical proceedings,
and he was also given multiple opportunities to submit himself to the authority of his diocesan
bishop. It was determined that Father Pavone had no reasonable justification for his actions.
Since Priests for Life, Inc. is not a Catholic organization,
Mr. Pavone's continuing role in it as a layperson would be entirely up to the leadership
of that organization. Unquote. And that's it. So, the claims are that Father Pavone was found
guilty of blasphemous communications on social media and persistent disobedience to his diocesan
bishop. Unfortunately, the nuncio provided no further information. So, that means we do not
know what blasphemous communications in particular this is in reference to, and likewise, we don't
know what specific acts of disobedience are meant. In any case, it's best to be systematic about this
and keep separate things separate. The following issues all pertain to this, but they are separate
and therefore should not be mixed together. Number one, whether or not Father Pavone
is actually guilty of blasphemy and disobedience, and to what degree?
Issue number two, assuming he is guilty, whether or not dismissal from the priesthood
is a just and proportionate punishment for his offenses. Number three, whether there might be
an ulterior motive behind penalizing Father Pavone in such a severe manner.
Number four, regardless of his guilt or innocence, whether Father Pavone's response
to this draconian measure is itself morally right and legitimate. And issue number five,
whether or not Francis and the other Novus Ordo authorities involved in this are engaging in a
glaring double standard, considering what other priests and bishops get away with, including
heresy, blasphemy, and adultery. And issue number four, whether or not Francis and the other novus
order authorities involved in this are engaging in a glaring double standard, considering what other
priests and bishops get away with, including heresy, blasphemy, and adultery. And issue number five,
whether or not Francis and the other novus order authorities involved in this are engaging in a
glaring double standard, considering what other priests and bishops get away with, including heresy,
and sacrilege, and disobedience of the worst sort, beginning with Francis himself, of course.
All of these five things are important aspects of this drama, but they are all separate issues
and must be evaluated separately. For example, let's say that Pavone is being punished unjustly
and for an evil motive. That may be so, but even if it is, it still would not justify
how he's been responding to his alleged defrocking. Now, I say alleged because Pavone
says that he has not yet been personally notified by the Vatican of his dismissal from the clerical
state. He found out about it from Catholic News Agency, and that's very odd. If a judge hands you
a sentence, he needs to let you know about it. Pavone has not yet been notified, not even by
means of an intermediary. Instead, he simply heard the news that the nuncio had told this
to the American bishops, even though the decision was handed down on November 9th.
And so, I think that he is totally within his rights to continue calling himself father and
acting as a priest in the meantime, since he has not yet been properly notified of his punishment.
He basically just overheard other people talking.
Now, how has Pavone himself responded to the news of his dismissal? Well, first, he doesn't doubt
that it's true. Even though he hasn't been notified by the Vatican, he isn't surprised at
the news and claims that the real reason that they're going after him is because they don't
want him to continue his work against abortion. And so, he says that the charges against him are
just being exaggerated.
Second, from everything I've read and heard, and Pavone has been giving interview after interview,
you can check the show notes for our blog post with all the links, it's very clear that
Father Pavone has absolutely no intention of obeying any authority, including his own bishop
and including even the person he believes to be the pope.
If obeying, he is not going to be able to continue his work against him. So, I think that he has
to stop his pro-life work and do something else. And that is shocking for someone who
considers himself a faithful Catholic priest.
Now, don't misunderstand. Of course, fighting against the horrific crime of child murder
is a very noble, laudable, and important thing in itself. However, if you're a priest, you're
under obedience to your local bishop.
And more so, you're under obedience to the pope. Obedience demands a sacrifice of your own will.
And that is very difficult. There's no question about that. And, of course, obedience does have
its limits. You are not, for example, bound to obey an order that is absurd or completely
unreasonable. For example, if your bishop were to say you have to do a thousand push-ups every day.
Right?
Of course, you are not permitted to obey if you're being ordered to commit a sin. The bishop
couldn't tell you to, you know, steal money from a parishioner's home so he can renovate
the chancery office. But it really has to be a genuine sin. Nowadays, people think you don't
have to obey if you don't agree that what you're being told is a good idea. Well, that's not how
it works in the Catholic Church. Even if you foresee that you're being ordered to do a thousand
push-ups every day, you're not allowed to do it. You're not allowed to do it. You're not allowed
to do it. You're not allowed to do it. You're not allowed to do it. You're not allowed to do it.
It's not a sin for you to do it. You have to obey. Now, for a bishop to say that one of his priests
needs to stop being involved in a particular ministry is entirely legitimate. He can say,
hey, thanks for your pro-life work, but now I want you to be a hospital chaplain,
for example. The bishop can do that, and you have to obey him.
But Frank Pavone isn't doing that. He's not doing that. He's not doing that. He's not doing that.
He wants his will to be done, not the will of his lawful superiors. He's claiming,
and you can see this in the linked videos in the show notes, he's claiming that it is God's
will for him to be doing what he's doing with priests for life, and he will not let any human
authority tell him otherwise. Effectively, then, he is the final authority in judging
what he should be doing with his priesthood, and that is wrong.
Now, Pavone seems to think that God himself gave him a mission to do his pro-life work,
and that that is basically independent of the authority and jurisdiction of his superiors.
In a way, you could say that Pavone thinks that regardless of what his bishop and the pope say,
God has already overruled them, and Pavone is simply obeying God instead. Now, that is insane.
That is a totally Protestant,
non-Catholic attitude. It's kind of like Martin Luther saying,
I don't care what the pope decrees against me. God told me to reform the church,
and that's what I'm going to do. It's absurd. Now, of course, I'm not saying that Pavone's
pro-life work is like the heretical claptrap of Martin Luther. Not at all. But the principle
that's being invoked to justify it is the same. God told me. I obey God.
I do what God wants me to do, and you cannot interfere. Well, ordinarily, when you're a
priest or religious, God's will is discerned, first of all, through the orders of your superior,
whom you must obey. And sure, obedience is difficult, but then that is what makes it
virtuous. Virtue is never easy. And even if one receives a penalty,
and the penalty is not a penalty, then it is a penalty. And if one receives a penalty,
the penalty is actually unjust if the pope has given his final judgment on the matter.
Even if it is an unjust sentence, you are not allowed to rebel. Instead, you must suffer the
injustice and offer it up to our Lord. Throughout church history, it's happened again and again that
a cleric was punished unjustly, either because of a mistake or even because of the malice of
the Lord. And so, if you're a cleric, you must suffer the injustice and offer it up to our Lord.
And yet, the good clerics obey. It is the bad ones that don't. Consider Padre Pio. He was
disciplined unjustly and obeyed. Or Father Charles Coghlan, the fiery radio preacher of the 1930s in
the United States. He was silenced in the early 40s, and he obeyed. The Jesuit order was suppressed
by Pope Clement XIV in the 18th century. And so, if you're a cleric, you must suffer the injustice
and offer it up to our Lord. And so, if you're a cleric, you must suffer the injustice and offer it up to our Lord.
And so, if you're a cleric, you must suffer the injustice and offer it up to our Lord. And so, if you're a
and the Jesuits obeyed. The Cristeros, fighting in Mexico in the late 1920s, Pope Pius XI ordered
them to lay down their arms, and they obeyed and were slaughtered. Now, look at who didn't obey.
People like George Tyrrell, the English modernist excommunicated by St. Pius X. Leonard Feeney, the
American preacher. And so, if you're a cleric, you must suffer the injustice and offer it up to our Lord.
The Christian priest excommunicated by Pope Pius XII. And of course, Martin Luther. And we could
go on and on. By the way, I should probably point out, just for the record, that Father Frank Pavone
is a man of Vatican II. He is Novus Ordo through and through. I saw some people on Twitter already
commenting that, oh, hopefully Father Pavone will now be ordained validly by a Sedevacanus bishop.
But folks, it takes more than being zealous in fighting a
abortion to be a Catholic, especially a Catholic priest. So, don't confuse being conservative on
issues that concern the Fifth, Sixth, and Ninth Commandments with being theologically sound all
around. For instance, Pavone has happily endorsed Francis' exhortation Amoris Laetitia. That's the
blasphemous document that allows unrepentant public adulterers to receive the sacraments,
saying that sometimes,
it may just be God's will for them to commit adultery. Pavone called the document,
this is a quote, a beautifully written pro-life affirmation of the church's wisdom, unquote.
So, let's maybe not canonize him just yet.
All right, summing up. Yes, it may be that Father Pavone is really being punished
because the Novus Ordo authority,
especially Francis, want him to stop fighting abortion. And if they can't achieve that,
then they want to at least hurt his credibility as much as possible. I am not saying it is so,
but I can't rule it out either. Nevertheless, even if it is unjust, how Frank Pavone is
responding to this persecution is not right either. Under the supposition that Francis is the Pope,
which is what Pavone believes,
the Catholic attitude is to simply obey, pray, and suffer this injustice. That is the Catholic
attitude. Sometimes, God simply wants you to suffer. Remember, if any man will follow me,
let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me, says our Lord in Mark 8, 34.
The general Catholic attitude is that what your lawful superior orders you to do,
as long as it's not a sin or impossible or whatever, is God's will for you at that moment.
Yes, I know that is very hard to accept sometimes, but that is what is required of the priest who
promises obedience to his bishop and his successors. And it is required even more so
of the religious who takes a vow of obedience. A religious, meaning a monk or a nun, a brother or
sister, is a religious who takes a vow of obedience. A religious, meaning a monk or a nun,
typically takes vows of obedience, chastity, and poverty. And out of those three,
obedience is by far the most difficult, because it means a surrender not merely of one aspect
of your life, as is the case with chastity and poverty, but of your entire will, which
potentially concerns everything. Now, before I conclude, let me just be absolutely clear,
so that there is no misunderstanding. Francis, Jorge Bergoglio, is not a true pope.
But as far as this controversy goes, that's beside the point, because Father Pavone believes
Francis to be a true pope, and his actions have to be evaluated with that belief in mind.
In other words, Pavone is willingly refusing to be subject to the completely lawful orders
of the person he thinks is the vicar.
On earth. In at least two interviews with Pavone that I've seen, he explained that he's not
terribly worried about the papal judgment being final, because it could still be overturned by a
future pope, see? Or he could just take it, as he said, to the people of God, and then they can,
I guess, pressure Francis to rescind the defrocking or something. It,
it is insane. Yes, abortion is a great evil, a horrendous mortal sin, and it must be fought.
Defeating abortion, however, is not the highest good. The highest good is the beatific vision,
everlasting happiness in heaven, seeing and knowing God face to face for all eternity.
If you miss that, nothing else you did in life matters.
Unfortunately, Frank Pavone is idolizing the fight against abortion. He's putting it above
all else, even above the demands of the Catholic faith and the salvation of his own soul.
Because if Francis is the pope, as he believes, and Pavone refuses him submission, he is committing
a mortal sin, objectively. Which, by the way, is one of the reasons why it's so important to
recognize that Francis is not the pope. See, for some, it's all about the mass. For others,
it's all about abortion. But actually, it's all about the authentic Catholic faith,
first and foremost. Meaning that you can have the mass without the faith,
and it will profit your soul nothing. You can save every single baby from abortion,
but without the faith, it will profit your soul nothing. Always, objectively speaking.
That's because in order for you to be able to merit anything before God for eternal life,
you must first have sanctifying grace in your soul, which is the pure gift of God. And that
grace cannot exist in your soul without the supernatural virtues of faith, hope, and charity.
So,
to say that Pavone is totally wrong here is not to say that abortion isn't a great evil that must
be fought, or that the Vatican is justified in stripping him of his priesthood. It's obviously
a horrific punishment that a great number of other noble sordid clerics deserve much more
than Father Pavone. It's simply making clear that the end does not justify the means, and that
obedience to one's lawful superiors is not a good thing. It's simply making clear that the end does
is not dependent on whether we agree with what's being commanded. The work each Catholic has,
priest or layman, is, first and foremost, the salvation of his own soul. In other words,
whatever noble thing someone may be doing, what's more important than that work is the
sanctification and salvation of the worker. Look at St. Thomas Aquinas, for example. His
greatest work was the Summa Theologica. And you know what? He died before he could finish it.
It's an unfinished work. God did not want him to complete it. God didn't need him to complete it.
St. Thomas is a saint not because he wrote such great theological and philosophical works,
but because he was personally holy. He didn't just speak eloquently about the virtues,
he excelled at practicing them. Same with St. Pius X. He's a saint not simply because he fought
modernism, although that was, of course, a part of it, but because he led a holy life and died
in heroic virtue. He didn't just teach the faith, he lived it to the full. And consider also St.
Therese of the Child Jesus. She died at age 24 and never did any great work,
in the sense that she never did anything that is considered great by the world.
She didn't convert the masses. She didn't miraculously heal the sick.
She didn't prophesy the future. She didn't bilocate. She didn't raise people from the dead.
But she loved God with an immense supernatural charity, doing and suffering everything for love
of him. There's a lot more that could be said about this Fr. Frank Pavone,
but I'm going to end it here or else this podcast will never get done.
May you have a blessed Christmas.
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