‘Obedience Never Wipes Away Conscience’: Fr. Frank Pavone Speaks Out After Vatican Removes Him From Priesthood

Amanda PrestigiacomoJanuary 14, 2023

Fr. Frank Pavone, one of the most prominent U.S. Catholic priests organizing to defend life, says he’s still never been told which specific social media posts were deemed “blasphemous,” This led to his shocking defrocking at the Vatican December

A letter Obtained Catholic News Agency reported last month that Pavone was fired for his social media activities. “persistent disobedience of the lawful instructions of his diocesan bishop.” Pavone says he’s been in the crosshairs of some U.S. bishops for decades over his open pro-life and sometimes corresponding political views.

“It would be nice if they told me,” Pavone told Ben Shapiro on “The Sunday Special,” affirming that it has still not been articulated to him which posts of his are supposedly blasphemous.

CLICK HERE FOR BEN SHAPIRO’S “SUNDAY SPECIAL” FATHER FRANK PAVOONE

Shapiro asked Pavone about a Video that’s been brought up, where the priest placed an aborted baby on an altar. Pavone said he’s been doing this exercise “for decades,” adding that it’s important for people to know what abortion actually looks like. He stated that the altar was a table in Priests for Life and was not consecrated. “We have to elect people who are willing to protect these babies,” Pavone stated.

“Their reasons have shifted over these 21 years,” Pavone went on, speaking about the push-back he’s received from some bishops. “It’s always been something else; it’s always been a shifting goalpost. … When one question is settled, they bring up a different concern.”

“In the latest, they actually said I had blasphemous communications on social media,” Pavone noted. “I’m honestly not aware of any blasphemy I’ve committed.”

“They keep saying to me, ‘Oh, you’re being disobedient, you’re being disobedient.’ They say to me, ‘You can’t try to save babies,’” He told Shapiro. “We run the largest pro-life ministry in the world for healing people after abortion. … We run these healing retreats — that’s part of our ministry.”

“If the question of obedience is, ‘Well, you can’t save these babies’ lives’ — ultimately, it comes down to the question of conscience,” Pavone said. “Obedience in any sphere of life never wipes away conscience, and this is something very very basic and simple.”

“If I see a child over there whose life is in danger and I wanna go over and save it — trespass laws fall by the wayside, all kinds of things fall by the wayside, because saving his life takes priority,” he illustrated.

“And that’s really been the nub of the problem, for some reason. Some of them don’t want me focusing on abortion,” The Catholic added.

Pavone noted that he’s followed assignments and been obedient to the Church in every other way, highlighting to Shapiro that he wasn’t wearing his priest collar. “I’m not going to rebel against that, I’m gonna work through the systems the Church provides to get reinstated,” He stated.

A statement attached to a letter from Archbishop Christophe Pierre to U.S. bishops, dated December 13, claimed 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,” The letter contained the following:

Pavone was a reference in the statement. “lay person” Priests for the Life were added to this list. “is not a Catholic organization.”

Pavone received information via Catholic News Agency reports about Pavone’s apparent removal. “How did CNA learn about this before I did?” He responded via email to the organization.