Posted on 10/04/2011 1:21:19 PM PDT by NYer
Bishop Patrick Zurek of Amarillo, Texas has released a new letter concerning the status of Father Frank Pavone and has said the Priests for Life leader will be forced to remain in Texas indefinitely.
The letter, which appeared publicly on the Diocese of Amarillo website and which LifeNews blogger Gerard Nadal obtained, claims Father Pavone “remains suspended,” even though the Diocese had said publicly repeatedly before that that was not the case and that Pavone was a priest in good standing.
Zurek writes on September 30 that “at my discretion,” Pavone “has faculties for ministry in the Diocese of Amarillo. He does not have permission for ministry outside the Diocese. He is to remain in the Diocese for an indefinite period of time for prayer and reflection.”
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Over the weekend, Father Pavone emailed LifeNews with a response to the letter, saying, “I’ve been told by my diocese, at the same time, that I am both “suspended” and “a priest in good standing.” Now I’m neither a canon lawyer nor a bishop, so I will admit that I’m a little confused.”
“The only thing I’m really sure of at this moment is that I am a priest, sitting in Amarillo, patiently awaiting clarification of my own status, and meanwhile, continuing to comply completely with the requirements of my Bishop,” he said.
In September, a statement issued by the Diocese of Amarillo indicated the Priests for Life leader is not accused of wrongdoing. The Diocese, in a statement obtained by LifeNews and written by reverend Monsignior Harold Waldow, Vicar of Clergy for the Diocese, said Pavone is accused of no wrongdoings.
“As the Vicar of Clergy for the Diocese of Amarillo and the Moderator of Curia I want to publicly state that Reverend Frank Pavone of Priests for Life is a priest in good standing with the Roman Catholic Church. He has all the faculties for ministry that every priest of our diocese has in and for the Diocese of Amarillo,” Waldow writes.
“I would also like to clarify a point that because there is a dispute about the auditing process and the complete audit for all the entities of Priests for Life, Rachel’s Vineyard, and the Missionaries of the Gospel of Life does not mean that Father Pavone is being charged with any malfeasance or being accused of any wrong doing with the financial matters of Priests for Life,” the statement continues.
Those comments were a confirmation of a statement Waldow already made in an interview with the Catholic News Service, where he said “Father Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, remains a priest in good standing in the Diocese of Amarillo, Texas.”
Father David Deibel, JD, JCL, Chief Canonist for Priests for Life, agrees and says it is “absolutely false” that Pavone is supposedly not in good standing with the Catholic Church.
“Father Pavone is and has been a priest in good standing. Moreover, the canonical language of “suspension” in this regard is a mistake. Father Pavone has not in any way incurred any ecclesiastical penalty. Nor is Father Frank under the threat of any penalty,” he said.
As a priest in good standing in the Amarillo diocese, Father Pavone has celebrated Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Amarillo.
As LifeNews has reported, the pro-life movement has been abuzz with the news that Amarillo Bishop Patrick J. Zurek of the Diocese of Amarillo has asked Father Pavone to come back to serve in the diocese and has temporarily prevented him from exercising his duties as the head of Priests for Life. Zurek alleges, with little supporting evidence, that there are financial irregularities at Priests for Life despite annual audits from one of the nation’s top accounting firms.
Priests for Life released a statement early in the discussion over Pavone’s status responding to some of the misreporting in the mainstream media making it appear Pavone has been “suspended” as a Catholic priest or from the organization. Priests for Life said it was widely misreported in various Catholic and secular media that the Most Reverend Patrick Zurek, Bishop of Amarillo, had “suspended” Rev. Frank Pavone, a priest of his diocese, and put him “on leave.”
Pavone prayer ping!
Zurek better get his story straight. If Pavone isn’t suspended, then Zurek shouldn’t be telling other people that Pavone is suspended.
Prayers for Pavone.
AMARILLO, TX, October 4, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In a brief letter dated September 30 and posted on the website of the diocese of Amarillo, Bishop Patrick Zurek has stated that Priests for Life President Fr. Frank Pavone “remains suspended.” While the bishop acknowledges that Fr. Pavone “has faculties for ministry in the Diocese of Amarillo,” he adds that he “does not have my permission for ministry outside the Diocese.”
The bishop’s letter adds, “He is to remain in the Diocese for an indefinite period of time for prayer and reflection.”
LifeSiteNews spoke with Fr. Pavone today about the letter. “The diocese is saying two things at the same time,” Fr. Pavone said. “They are saying that I’m a priest in good standing [may practice priestly ministry] and yet they are saying that I’m suspended.”
Fr. Pavone noted that his canon lawyer was “trying to make sense” of those two seemingly contradictory statements.
For his part, Pavone said, “I’m patiently waiting to get clarification.”
Speaking for the Diocese of Amarillo, Deacon Floyd Ashley told LifeSiteNews that suspension means that Pavone “has no faculties outside the diocese of Amarillo.”
As to the specific nature of the concerns of the bishop, Deacon Ashley said that was a matter between Fr. Pavone and the bishop. He also said that the diocese did not leak Bishop Zurek’s letter to the bishops of the U.S. to the public.
Asked about what kind of timeline the bishop may have in mind, and whether Fr. Pavone would be permitted to attend the upcoming March for Life in January, Deacon Ashley said he had no idea.
What’s the story on Zurek? I don’t know anything about him.
Well if that stupid Bishop does not want him, then maybe our Bishop in West Virginia will!? I know I would love to have him here in the Mountain State!!!! Send him up!
Oh and give him a Hillbilly Thesaurus before he comes so he can understand the natives!
One assumes he can be useful in the Diocese of Amarillo, once the Bishop gets himself unfuddled. Every American diocese needs more priests on the ground.
this is nuts...
Apparently, the Vicar of the clergy indicates that Fr Pavone is a priest in good standing, while the Bishop's letter states clearly that he has been suspended. That is contradictory!
Has Fr Pavone been given a specific assignment in Texas or is he twiddling his thumbs?
I pray for the proper resolution of the situation.
There are certainly a lot of pastors who would be grateful to have Fr.Pavone step in and say Masses and hear Confessions in many an Amarillo parish. His obedience is pleasing to God, just as Bishop Zurek's oversight is pleasing to God. Given time, patience and charity, I think all missteps and difficulties can be corrected.
In Jesus' Name. Amen?
Fr Pavone as the head of his ministry has sat on top of a mountain of money. A great deal of which he has flushed down a rathole. Fr Pavone alone, shouldn’t be in charge of all this money, it should be a governed by a board of lay directors. A board of lay directors in this situation is the norm for a ministry like this with the priest or founding priest as one of the board. Fr Pavone’s problem if any is that he is a very independent person. Perhaps too independent, for his own good to be under a Bishop for the good or bad.
Excellent observations - kind of what I was aiming at.
“I think we need to avoid the tendency to hard-boil two good (but typically flawed) men into opposite positions (”He’s the Good Guy!” and “He’s the Bad Guy!”). Let’s pray for Fr.Pavone and Bishop Zurek. I don’t have any reason to doubt that they’re both pro-life, they both take their responsibilities seriously, and they both want to fully carry out the duties towhich God has called them.
There are certainly a lot of pastors who would be grateful to have Fr.Pavone step in and say Masses and hear Confessions in many an Amarillo parish. His obedience is pleasing to God, just as Bishop Zurek’s oversight is pleasing to God. Given time, patience and charity, I think all missteps and difficulties can be corrected.”
Amen......and AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Amen. A sensible post.
Amen! Well spoken.
Amen, Mrs. Don-o. I don’t like the efforts of those who think they are being loyal to Fr. Pavone by bad-mouthing his Bishop. Fr. Pavone is being obedient, and is able to exercise his priestly faculties, and that’s all that matters, at this point.
When Father Frank is outside the Diocese of Amarillo, he uses his priestly functions to raise money [most of the time].
That is a fact.
When I worked for Father Frank Pavone, I notice his lack of spirituality.
The reason I left PFL was basically I had a question in my mind whether Father Frank Pavone was a good priest or a bad priest.
That does not mean that I thought that Father Frank Pavone was a bad priest. But there was a question in my mind.
My trouble with the current situation is that Father Frank Pavone should use this time for prayer and reflection and not be talking about how "He is taking this matter to Rome."
When Father Frank Pavone is in New York City, he rarely performs the sacraments except for the Mass.
His minister as a priest is extremely limited. How many baptisms has he performed in the past 10 years? How many marriages? How many anointing of the sick? How many confessions does he hear? How many funerals does he preside over?
It is my personal opinion that Father Frank Pavone either needs to spend more time in private reflection and prayer or in being a pastor in a parish (4 to 6 weeks a year rather than 4 to 6 weekends a year).
A parish priest is given 6 weeks a year so that he may go on retreats (or even personal time such as vacations).
It should be remembered and reflected on in the Gospel how many time that Jesus retreated from the crowds to be in prayer with the Father -- in solitude.
Any good bishop will look out for the Spiritual Welfare of his priests.
It is my belief that this is all Bishop Zurek is doing.
Of course, it appears to Steve Ertelt and others that Father Frank Pavone walks on water and does not need to listen to anybody...
This whole non-sense of the Pro-Life movement attacking the Diocese of Amarillo puts to shame the idea of having a Bishop John Yanta Pro-Life Center.
Any chance of this center coming to fruition seems to be going by the wayside as Father Frank Pavone tries to think of ways to flee the Diocese of Amarillo.
To any bishop, Father Frank Pavone would appear as a problem child priest to have in their diocese...
Just read Father Frank's recent statements, and you will clearly see this...
How many baptisms has he performed in the past 10 years? How many marriages? How many anointing of the sick? How many confessions does he hear? How many funerals does he preside over? >>>
you can say that for any priest who has been released from his diocese who work for other ministries. They are not in a parish setting so they don’t conduct parish ministries.
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