Scuffle Escalates II: “Free Fr. Pavone!” and planes incoming
I’ve got to move on to other pro-life topics after this post but have several bullets of interest on the Pavone/Zurek scuffle…
- A “Free Father Frank!” Facebook page has just been launched, not by me, but I have been added as an administrator.
- With an annual revenue of $10.8 million (2008), Priests for Life brings in over 3x that of the Diocese of Amarillo, which reported $3.5 million in revenue for FY2010.
- Bishop Zurek wrote his letter to bishops on September 9, ordered Father Pavone to report for duty in Amarillo on September 13, and then left for vacation on September 13, according to a diocesan rep I spoke with. He will be on vacation until September 28.
- 4 Truth Trucks from the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform are gassing up to head to Amarillo, and a plane tow has been ordered. The TT signs are a work in progress, but here is the latest rendition (ContactBishopZurek.org website under construction) (UPDATE 9/16, 6:05a: final copy below, click to enlarge)…
- Father Pavone has two cardinals on his PFL Advisory Board. One, His Eminence Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, is frequently mentioned as the potential next Pope. The other, His Eminence Renato Cardinal Martino, is a Vatican official. FP himself is a member of the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life.
- While 83 U.S. bishops wrote or made statements opposing Notre Dame inviting pro-abortion/pro-infanticide President Barack Obama to speak at its May 2009 commencement, Bishop Zurek was not one – although his predecessor, pro-life stalwart Bishop Emeritus John Yanta was. (Zurek was installed as Bishop of Amarillo in February 2008.) As a Texan Catholic pro-life leader told me, “This was low hanging fruit, an easy pro-life stand to take. When the entire pro-life Catholic nation was outraged, Bishop Zurek would have garnered great favor with pro-life Catholics in his diocese had he taken a stand.”
- In the interest of fairness, Bishop Zurek has given at least one pro-life homily during his tenure in Amarillo, and the Respect Life office he inherited from Bishop Yanta is still running strong, I’m told. Coincidentally, it is led by a lay associate of Father Pavone’s Missionaries of the Gospel of Life.
- Thanks to Bishop Zurek’s letter, the liberal press has labeled Father Pavone as the “third high-profile conservative Catholic leader this year to face charges of misconduct,” linking him with two well-known priests who lost or resigned their ministries over sexual impropriety.
Sep.15, 2011 5:03 pm |
The Church |
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
bishopzurek@gmail.com
Let’s let Bishop Zurek know how appreciative we are that a good man is now linked to two sexual delinquents.
Thanks Zurek. The Diocese of Amarillo should be very proud of you.
Could you seriously change that ” in the running for next Pope” part? We Catholics don’t elect a pope. There is no campaigning for pope. And it’s a bit disrespectful of Pope Benedict XVI, too.
When you add this to the news coming out of Spokane WA about a bishop telling people not to participate in the 40 days for life thing this fall… I have to wonder what the heck is going on behind closed Catholic doors…
They seem to be backing off the anti-choice movement… I will just watch and wait to see what they are doing…
Dianna – I’ve tried to improve it.
http://www.priestsforlife.org/update/amarillo-clarification.pdf
WOO HOO
As predicted the MSM and our resident trolls are lining up to distort the news and impugn Fr. Pavone’s integrity.
This is the encouragement I would humbly offer to Father Frank (from the best Book in the world!):
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6: 10-18
I’m horrified, a Catholic Bishop airs personal insults against his own brother Priest in the public forum. What’s happening out there? We are praying for you Father Pavone, stay on that High road.
I’m nitpicking but “is frequently mentioned as the potential next Pope” when referring to Christoph Cardinal Schonborn is enough to make me almost have a coronary. For most Catholics I think that very idea distracts from this situation and this very good article. The Church in Austria is a disgrace. It’s up to the Holy Ghost but, if Cardinal Schonborn is the successor of Peter, I will weep bitterly and wonder what the Holy Ghost is up to.
Prayers for Father Pavone and his Bishop, for a peaceful and just resolution to this issue.
“Free Father Frank” is absolutely disgusting on so many levels. So many levels in fact that I can’t do justice to the absurdity.
First, I am of the impression that Father Frank is the unjust victim of persecution- let me make that clear.
1. However, there are mechanisms in place to investigate these matters. Not allowing them to do what they are ordained to do and creating a circus only fuels scandal. LET THE MECHANISMS WORK UNFETTERED. Respect these mechanisms. Stop gossipping. Stop running your own campaign that doesn’t (and shouldn’t) matter! YOU ARE CREATING SCANDAL!
2. The Church does not and should not EVER EVER take “public opinion” into consideration. It is not a democracy- It’s a theocracy. So calling for people to write letters to priests and bishops is not only futile, but offensive. The day the Church caves or even considers the wants of the world is the day I die from heartbreak. It disgusts me that people would want a Church where a mob of ignorant people (people not privy to all the evidence) get their way simply by harassing authorities.
3. Free Father Frank is bullying and harassing peaceful pro-life Mass-goers and the Bishop (not just with letters and phone calls and emails), but by extortion through graphic-image campaigns just meant to annoy the Bishop. I’m a huge supporter of graphic images as a loving mercy, to educate and save lives and to stand up for free speech when denied. IT IS SIMPLY A MORAL EVIL HERE. I oppose it here because it is simply being used to vindictively bully the diocese in retaliation for the Bishop’s treatment of Fr. Frank. It has no good purpose as the Bishop ran off on vacation and this is been appealed and is out of the bishop’s hands.
4. Obedience does not mean agreeing with authority. It means obeying authority even when we may disagree. In fact, if we always agreed with our authority, there’d be no need for an obedience vow. Free Father Frank is about defiance. We can disagree with our authorities, but not defy them.
5. The proper response to this is prayer. Not picketing, not letter-writing, not GOSSIP. The enemy is feeding off this! JUST PRAY for God’s Will. I beleive Fr. Frank will be vindicated and that’s my prayer.
I refuse to speak more on this issue. People need to keep their insolent mouths SHUT.