VATICAN CITY 鈥 Father Frank Pavone, a leader of the US anti-abortion movement and a strong supporter of former president Donald Trump, has been dismissed from the Catholic priesthood for 鈥渂lasphemous鈥 social media posts and disobedience to bishops.
The Vatican defrocked Mr. Pavone in November, according to a letter sent to US bishops from its ambassador to Washington. The letter, seen by Reuters, says Mr. Pavone will not be allowed to appeal. Mr. Pavone was defrocked for 鈥渂lasphemous communications on social media and of persistent disobedience of the lawful instructions of his diocesan bishop,鈥 the letter says.
In the 2016 presidential campaign he released a video of an aborted foetus on an altar and urged Catholics not to vote for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, who later lost to Trump.
His defrocking was first reported by the conservative Catholic News Agency (CNA).
Mr. Pavone, 63, a New Yorker, has had a scratchy relationship with many of his bishop superiors during his clerical career, often over actions they deemed too political.
After Mr. Trump lost to Joseph R. Biden in 2020, Mr. Pavone was among Trump supporters who questioned the validity of the elections.
In a one hour, 40-minute video on Sunday, Mr. Pavone, still wearing a priest鈥檚 collar, said he had been 鈥減ersecuted in the Church for decades鈥 and derided his critics as 鈥渢he dumbest in the world鈥.
In a Twitter post in 2020, he spoke of 鈥渟upporters of this goddamn loser Biden and his morally corrupt, America-hating, God-hating Democrat party鈥.
He referred to that episode in his Sunday video, saying 鈥淚 used the word G-D in a response to somebody in a Tweet and for that they want to throw me out of the priesthood.鈥
During the 2020 presidential campaign he was reprimanded for suggesting that Catholics who voted for Democrats should not be absolved of their sins in confessions.
In his video on Sunday, he accused his critics of 鈥渟pouting Democrat talking points鈥.
He said he still had not received any official communication from the Vatican on his dismissal and criticized the Vatican for 鈥渢alking to the media before you talk to the priest鈥.
He added: 鈥淚鈥檓 never going to leave the priesthood鈥. 鈥 Reuters
