Posted on 09/13/2011 2:13:58 PM PDT by NYer
STATEN ISLAND, NY – Father Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, has issued the following statement: “For the past several years, my Ordinary, the Most Reverend Patrick Zurek, Bishop of Amarillo, has given me permission to do the full-time pro-life work that I have done since 1993. In 2005, I made a public promise in a Church ceremony in Amarillo, presided over by a Vatican Cardinal, that this full-time pro-life work would be a lifetime commitment. That’s a commitment I promise to fulfill without wavering. “This past week, however, I received a letter from the Bishop insisting that I report to the Diocese this Tuesday, September 13 and, for the time being, remain only there. “I am very perplexed by this demand. Despite that, because I am a priest of the diocese of Amarillo, I will be obedient and report there on the appointed date, putting the other commitments that are on my calendar on hold until I get more clarity as to what the bishop wants and for how long. Meanwhile, I continue to retain all my priestly faculties and continue to be a priest in “good standing” in the Church. The bishop does not dispute this fact. Rather, he has said that he thinks I am giving too much priority to my pro-life work, and that this makes me disobedient to him. He also has claimed that I haven’t given him enough financial information. “Now, although Bishop Zurek is my Ordinary, he is not the bishop of Priests for Life. Each of our staff priests has his own Ordinary, and the organization has an entire Board of Bishops. We keep them all informed of our activities, and of our financial audits. “I want to say very clearly that Priests for Life is above reproach in its financial management and the stewardship of the monies it receives from dedicated pro-lifers, raised primarily through direct mail at the grassroots level. To this end, Priests for Life has consistently provided every financial document requested by Bishop Zurek, including annual financial audits, quarterly reports, management documents—even entire check registers! In fact, on June 20, 2011, Priests for Life received the results of its independent audit examination for the year ended December 31, 2010. The organization's auditors issued an unqualified audit opinion indicating that the financial statements "present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Priests for Life, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America". This marks the tenth consecutive year that the organization's auditors have provided a 'clean' audit opinion, when reporting on the respective year's financial statements. Priests for Life has been completely transparent with Bishop Zurek and any other bishops who have requested information regarding our management and finances. Indeed, we have 21 bishops and cardinals who sit on our Advisory Board, and they are kept fully informed about our finances. “Therefore, in the interest of preserving my good reputation as well as protecting the valuable work done by the Priests for Life organization, I have begun a process of appeal to the Vatican. This process aims to correct any mistaken decisions of the bishop in my regard and to protect my commitment to full-time pro-life activity for my whole life. We are very confident that the Vatican will resolve this matter in a just and equitable fashion. Because of this confidence, we are not currently making any changes in any positions at Priests for Life, or in any of our projects and plans. “I also want to point out that, according to the canon law of the Catholic Church, because I have begun this process of appeal to Rome, the Bishop’s order that I return to Amarillo has been effectively suspended. Nevertheless, because of my great respect for this Bishop and my commitment to be fully obedient at all times, I am reporting to Amarillo this Tuesday, in hopes that I can sort this problem out with the Bishop in a mutually agreeable and amicable way. “I would like to note that, unlike other organizations, which have sometimes been critical of the Church hierarchy or other institutions within the Church, Priests for Life has always remained 100% supportive of the Bishops, never criticizing any Church official, and always acting as a megaphone for the Bishops’ pro-life statements. Moreover, we serve dioceses and their priests and laity without asking for any speakers’ fees, and distribute millions of pieces of pro-life literature to dioceses completely free of charge. We do not seek parish collections, and we work to reinforce in each diocese the local pastoral plan which the bishop wants to implement for pro-life activities. “We are committed to going forward with that same spirit, regardless of the recent action taken by Bishop Zurek. “In the interest of full transparency, I would like to make it known that I do not receive any salary or financial remuneration from either the Diocese of Amarillo or from Priests for Life. Priests for Life, as a Private Association of the Christian Faithful, does provide for my residence and the expenses associated with the ministry, but these expenses are very small. Though, as a diocesan priest, I have never taken a vow of poverty, I have basically chosen to live in that fashion in solidarity with the pre-born children we are trying to protect—who are the poorest of the poor. “I want to be clear that I do not harbor any ill will towards the Bishop of Amarillo, nor do I foster suspicions about his motives. I am merely confused by his actions. It is impossible for me to believe that there is no place in the Church for priests to exercise full-time ministry in the service of the unborn. We do it for the sick, the poor, the hungry, and the imprisoned. But where in the Church is the place where a priest can exercise the same kind of full-time ministry for the children in the womb? That is the question that is at the heart of my own calling. “I am confident that we will be able to resolve this difficulty soon, without any harm to either my own reputation and without any slowdown of the valuable pro-life work we do at Priests for Life.”
I suspect the bishop got wind of it, saw that it would further erode his efforts to control these folks, and tried to head them off at the pass. >>>
ok, then you do agree that pfl tried to pull a fast one.
No, I think that it is more likely that the bishop is trying to pull a fast one. I think that Priests for Life probably had this in the works for some time, that it's perfectly legitimate, but it's getting under the skin of the bishop, for one reason or another.
I think he tried to throw a you-know-what in the punch bowl, and was likely taken aback that Priests for Life didn't let his poor behavior interfere with their plans.
This would be a case of he-said/he-said, and would require much time and effort to figure out who was at fault, if not for the audited financials by a certified public accounting firm.
That the bishop made certain allegations that are directly confuted by the mere existence of audited financials tells me that, at least with regard to one very important element of the story, the bishop is probably telling falsehoods.
Thus, those who appear to be telling the truth at this time - the folks who run Priests for Life - get some benefit of the doubt, and the fellow who appears to be making false statements does not.
We'll see if things change over time.
sitetest
“...is the day before Fr. Pavone was suspended.”
By the way, to make clear, Fr. Pavone’s priestly faculties are not suspended. His work with Priests for Life, and his permission to work outside the diocese in which he is currently incardinated, are suspended.
Fr. Pavone is still a priest in good standing, a point obscured by your statement.
sitetest
ok, now you are picking at straws, twisting things and not sticking to the subject at hand, where did I say his "priestly" faculties have been suspended.. Please, give it up already.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2777824/posts?page=4#4 From LIFESITE NEWS
Note: Read Fr. Pavone’s complete statement regarding the decision to suspend him from public ministry here.
Your Eminences and Your Excellencies,
I have decided to suspend Father Frank A. Pavone from public ministry outside of the Diocese of Amarillo to take effect on September 13, 2011.
BTW, I'm glad you agreed that pfl tried to pull a fast one..
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2777824/posts?page=41#41
Even the headline is disingenuous:
“Full statement from Bishop Zurek regarding decision to suspend Fr. Pavone’s public ministry”
When what the bishop actually did was:
“I have decided to suspend Father Frank A. Pavone from public ministry outside of the Diocese of Amarillo to take effect on September 13, 2011.”
Thus, I'm not “picking at straws” (whatever that means). Rather, I'm being accurate. Fr. Pavone is not suspended. His faculties are intact. Merely, his permission to operate outside his diocese is suspended. Which is the usual status for most priests - they do not have a public ministry outside their own diocese or order.
As well, this is a falsehood:
“BTW, I'm glad you agreed that pfl tried to pull a fast one..”
That was your misinterpretation of what I actually said. Please retract your falsehood. I've already corrected you once, responding that I thought that if anyone is trying to “pull a fast one,” it is the bishop.
sitetest
Can you clarify this? I just don't understand your meaning.
I am also in the Philly diocese. If my memory serves, we had the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference of Bishops' voters' guides in all the bulletins that year. The USCCB voters' guide is typically garbage and filled with seamless garment crap. The PCCB guide was vastly superior.
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