In a Dec. 13 letter to U.S. bishops U.S. Papal Nuncio Archbishop Christophe Pierre wrote that the Dicastery for the Clergy issued the decision on Nov. 9.
By Joe Bukuras, EWTN News,
Father Frank Pavone, a well-known pro-life activist and national director of the organization Priests for Life, has been dismissed from the clerical state for “blasphemous communications on social media” and “persistent disobedience of the lawful instructions of his diocesan bishop,” CNA has learned.
In a Dec. 13 letter to U.S. bishops obtained by CNA and confirmed by multiple sources as authentic, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, wrote that the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy issued the decision on Nov. 9, adding that there was “no possibility of appeal.”
“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,” explains a separate statement attached to Archbishop Pierre’s letter. “It was determined that Father Pavone had no reasonable justification for his actions.” …