Vatican Dismisses Trump-Supporting Priest Over 'Blasphemy'

Father Frank Pavone, the leader of an anti-abortion group and a former religious adviser of former President Donald Trump, has been removed from the priesthood by the Vatican over his "blasphemous" views.

Pavone, who heads the anti-abortion movement Priests for Life, was dismissed by the Catholic Church last month, according to the letter received by U.S. bishops from the Vatican's ambassador to Washington.

Reuters reported that the letter indicated that Pavone would not be allowed to apply for a reconsideration of his dismissal.

The letter stated that Pavone's removal from the priesthood was approved by the Vatican's Dicastery for the Clergy after it found the priest guilty of having blasphemous posts on social media.

"This action was taken after Father Pavone was found guilty in canonical proceedings of blasphemous communications on social media, and of persistent disobedience of the lawful instructions of his diocesan bishop," the letter said, according to the New York Times.

The letter noted that Pavone was given "ample opportunity" to defend himself from accusations and "multiple opportunities to submit himself to the authority of his diocesan bishop."

Pavone said the Vatican didn't adequately notify him of their decision, criticizing them for "talking to the media before you talk to the priest."

Catholic News Agency reported that Pavone canceled his scheduled online mass since his removal took effect immediately.

He wrote a defiant statement addressed to the Catholic leaders, vowing to take "all appropriate canonical and civil action as well as public communications to the Faithful."

"It's about the millions of supporters of the movement I help to lead and will continue to lead," Pavone said.

Pavone also addressed Pope Francis, saying he wants to continue to serve as a "faithful priest and full-time pro-life leader."

Eric Scheidler, the executive director of the Pro-Life Action League, claimed that Pavone's removal from priesthood would have an adverse effect on the pro-life movement, especially as they try to rebuild amid the backlash from the Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

The controversial former priest had a long history of clashing with his bishop superiors due to his political views.

In 2016, Pavone posted a live video on Facebook, showing him putting an aborted fetus on an altar. He urged the Catholic faithful not to vote for then-Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

During the 2020 election, Pavone suggested that Catholics who voted for Democrats should be withheld from absolving their sin. His remark irked Bishop Patrick Zurek of the Diocese of Amarillo.

In a statement, the diocese said Pavone's views "are not consistent with Catholic Church Teachings," urging the Catholics to disregard his posts.

Pavone also questioned the election results after Trump lost to then-Democratic candidate Joe Biden.