What happened to Father Frank Pavone? Defrocking controversy explained

The Vatican council has defrocked Father Frank Pavone - a catholic priest who is a prominent voice for anti-abortion activism - on account of consistent "blasphemous posts on social media" and disobedience towards the bishop.

On Sunday, December 18, a letter obtained by U.S. bishops from Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the Vatican ambassador to the U.S., noted that the decision against Pavone was made on November 9, 2022, and that there was no chance for an appeal.

Pavone is the national director of Priests for Life, an organization that is known to be anti-abortion. He has been a consonant partisan activist for Donald Trump and in addition, has penned many books centered around the theme of abolishing abortion.

His influence has been widely appreciated, and one noted example of that is when Norma McCorvey, the “Jane Roe” of the Supreme Court’s Roe vs. Wade abortion decision, called him the "catalyst" that brought her into the Catholic faith.

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Father Frank Pavone defrocked by the Catholic church, may still run Priests for Life

Frank Pavone during an interview in Florida (Image via Getty/Zack D. Roberts)

Father Frank Pavone, ordained in 1988 by Cardinal John O’Connor has been defrocked by the Vatican.

Defrocking means the deprivation or removal of someone from an ecclesiastical status in regard to the church. Pavone will be removed from the clerical state. The decision was made on November 9, with no chance for an appeal.

It is reported that the prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy issued the removal of Pavone over "blasphemous communications on social media and of persistent disobedience of the lawful instructions of his diocesan bishop."

The letter by the Archbishop of the United States (Image via Twitter/@obianuju)

Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the United States, wrote a letter to the U.S. bishops, announcing Frank Pavone's dismissal. The letter said:

"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."

The statement went on to refer to Pavone as a lay person and called him Mr. Pavone.

In 2016, Pavone came into the limelight for placing an aborted fetus on the altar and posted a video online explaining how the Democrats support abortion, while Republicans protect the unborn. Furthermore, Pavone's social media was flagged by the Amarillo diocese as being used for political gain, distancing himself from the Catholic church and its teachings.

Frank Pavone's Twitter profile picture (L) and Banner (R) (Image via Twitter)

Frank Pavone has also been an immense supporter of Trump through 2020, despite the latter's loss to Joe Biden. His Twitter handle still sports an image of himself wearing a MAGA hat.

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Pavone responded to his defrocking via a post on Twitter, wherein he wrote that a "piece of paper" from the Vatican will not stop him from his vocation as a pro-life leader and a priest.

Laicization, or being reduced to the lay state, is one of the harshest sentences meted out by the Catholic church.

The statement also mentions that since the Priests for Life organization is not a Catholic-run faction, it would be up to the group to decide whether or not they would allow a lay person to continue running it.