Father Frank A. Pavone (born February 4, 1959) is an American Roman Catholic priest and pro-life activist. He was the national director of Priests for Life and serves as the Chairman and Pastoral Director of Rachel's Vineyard.[1] He also is the President of the National Pro-Life Religious Council, an umbrella groups of various Christian denominations working to end abortion, and serves as Pastoral Director of the Silent No More awareness campaign.
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Pavone was born in 1959 in Port Chester, New York to Joseph Pavone, who worked in his father's shoe supply business, and his wife, Marion, a bookkeeper until she became pregnant, and later worked as the Head Cashier in the local E. J. Korvette store. Pavone aspired to be an astronaut as a child but decided to become a priest after volunteering at his parish, and after attending the 1976 March for Life, decided to devote his life to the pro-life cause.[2] After graduating as valedictorian of his high school class, he enrolled in the Don Bosco College, a Salesian Major Seminary in Newton, New Jersey, later leaving the Salesian Order and joining the Archdiocese of New York.[3]
Pavone was ordained a diocesan priest on November 12, 1988 by Cardinal John Joseph O'Connor at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City.[3][4] He served as a parish priest from 1988 to 1993.[2] He is currently a priest of the Diocese of Amarillo, Texas, and serves in pro-life ministry with his bishop's permission.[5]
On September 6, 2011, Pavone was ordered back to his diocese by his bishop, Patrick Zurek of the Diocese of Amarillo, Texas. In a letter sent to fellow bishops on September 9, 2011, Bishop Zurek pointed to "persistent questions and concerns about stewardship of finances" from clergy and laity about how the millions of dollars donated to Priests for Life are used.[6] Pavone said he would comply with the request.[6] On September 12, 2011, Pavone sent his own letter to the bishops, saying Priests for Life has operated with financial transparency and that Priests for Life has never paid him a salary and only covers a small residence, which costs about $2,000 a month, and "very small" expenses associated with the ministry.[6] On September 14, 2011, Monsignor Harold Waldow, head of clergy in the diocese, said Pavone remains a priest in good standing with the diocese and was ordered back because he was needed for work in the diocese.[6][7] Pavone said, "I fully expect that my time in Amarillo, both in terms of this immediate trip and in terms of my affiliation with that diocese is going to be temporary."[6] On September 22, 2011, Priests for Life mailed a fundraising letter from Pavone to supporters asking for donations. In the letter, Pavone said,
"First, I am not suspended and I never was. You can call the Amariilo chancery if you feel like you need to. The number is [redacted]. You’ll probably be connected to Deacon Floyd Ashley, the diocese's Executive Assistant, He will confirm what I just told you.Second, I have not lost any of my priestly faculties. Again, Deacon Ashley will confirm that.
Third, and perhaps most important to you, Monsignor Harold Waldow, the Vicar of Clergy for the Amarillo Diocese, has sent out a letter in which he states that I have not been 'charged with any malfeasance' nor even been 'accused of any wrong doing with the financial matters of Priests for Life.'
Fourth, while Bishop Zurek wants to clear up any misunderstandings, he made it clear that he does not want the work of Priests for Life to be harmed.
Fifth, for the time being, my ministry is restricted to the Diocese of Amarillo and it will remain restricted until Bishop Zurek and I can sit down and reach a mutual understanding on my dual role as both a priest in his diocese and a priest dedicated to pro-life work on a full-time basis.[8]
On September 30, 2011, Bishop Zurek said Pavone would remain in Amarillo "indefinitely". On October 3, 2011, Bishop Zurek sent a letter to Pavone saying, "I want only what is best for all organizations that support and promote those teachings that come from the heart of the Catholic Church on the dignity and gift of human life."[9] Bishop Zurek and Pavone were set to meet privately on October 13, 2011,[10] but Pavone did not attend at the advice of a canon lawyer working with Priests for Life.[11]
Father Pavone provided much commentary during the Terri Schiavo controversy, having been on the limited visitors' list and having been at her bedside many times, including during her final hours. He delivered the homily at Schiavo's funeral Mass at the Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in Gulfport, Florida on April 5, 2005.[12] He serves as a member of Dr. James Dobson's Focus on the Family Institute.[13]
In 1993, Cardinal O'Connor appointed him the full-time national director of Priests for Life.[2] He gained prominence through his work with the group, traveling to all fifty states and personally working with Mother Teresa and Mother Angelica. He received Norma McCorvey, the "Jane Roe" of the Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion in America who became a pro-life activist, into the Catholic Church in 1998.
Father Pavone was a spiritual advisor to the family of Terri Schiavo. He was one of a few people legally allowed to enter Schiavo's room as she died and witnessed her final hours. The night before Schiavo died, Pavone spoke to the media and called Schiavo's husband, his attorney, and Judge George Greer "murderers" for ordering the removal of Schiavo's feeding tube.[14]
In 2011, Pavone was involved in assisting the family of Moe Maraachli, a Canadian man who, with his wife, sought medical procedure for their dying son, who came to be known as "Baby Joseph", but were refused the treatment in Canada. They turned to Pavone for assistance, and he arranged, through his Priests for Life organization, to have the baby transferred to SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center in St. Louis where the child received a tracheotomy,[15] and then to have him flown back home, breathing on his own without a machine.[16] After successfully receiving the procedure in March 2011, Maraachli did return home, where he died in September 2011.
In September 2004, Pavone addressed a group of delegates to the Republican National Convention in New York, saying, "Isn't it great to be among Catholics who aren't afraid to be political? And isn't it great to find a few priests who aren't afraid to be political?"[17] Arguing that abortion was the "single issue" that mattered in the election of 2004, Pavone endorsed George W. Bush.[18] Pavone explained in 2004 that most priests would vote for Bush, saying, "The President understands Christian moral values far better than John Kerry does. In fact, the President, though not Catholic, also understands Catholicism better."[19] In a controversial homily delivered on EWTN on July 14, 2008, Pavone reportedly indicated that if a person does not take steps to make abortion illegal, God would not hear that person's prayers.[20] Pavone has also made statements comparing pro-choice politicians to terrorists.[21] On his blog on September 18, 2008, Fr. Pavone wrote that Catholic Church property was an acceptable place for individuals to distribute literature stating that it is immoral to vote for Barack Obama -- provided that the Church itself is not distributing or sponsoring the literature.[22]
At the time that Republican presidential candidate John McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate in the presidential campaign, Pavone stated that Palin (who was raised a Protestant in the Assemblies of God, although her mother was a "cradle Catholic") was a better Catholic than Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden.[23]
In January 2010, Pavone weighed in on the special election victory of Republican Scott Brown to fill the late Ted Kennedy's U.S. Senate seat. Although Brown has a moderately pro-choice stance, supporting certain restrictions, and supports keeping abortion legally available,[24] Pavone hailed his victory as an example that "elections are the answer". Pavone added that the Democratic party ignored the will of the people and that the election of the pro-choice Brown showed that "the people respond at the voting booth to reclaim their own voice".[25]