Fr. Frank Pavone's Blog

Unforeseen Consequence

May 15th, 2012

The so-called right to abortion, which the courts have invented out of thin air, enables women to walk away from the responsibilities of motherhood and caring for a child they have conceived.

One of the many unintended consequences of this policy is that fathers are now beginning to claim the same kind of right to walk away from their parental responsibilities. In fact, lawsuits have begun in which men have claimed that because they offered to pay for the abortion of their child, they should not have any further responsibilities toward raising that child if the mother decides to give birth. After all, if we can’t force the mother to be a mother, why should we force the father to be a father? The bitter fruits of Roe v Wade continue to unfold.

Posted in Abortion, Parenthood, prolife | 1 Comment »

Blest Are They Who Seek Justice

May 14th, 2012

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice; they will be satisfied. This beatitude speaks to the heart of the pro-life movement. We seek justice first of all by seeking to be right with God and in all our relationships, and we seek justice by seeking to protect the rights of all, especially the weakest among us, our brothers and sisters in the womb. We are blessed not merely by believing they have a right to life, but by feeling the hunger and thirst, the longing and yearning, that they be protected and that this right be recognized and secured by law.

We also seek justice by working to extend healing and forgiveness to all who have been involved in abortion, that they too will be right with God and know His peace.

Posted in Abortion, Faith, prolife | 1 Comment »

God’s Choice Comes Before Our Own

May 14th, 2012

Yesterday we observed Mothers’ Day, a reminder to pray for all mothers who are afraid to be mothers. So many are already mothers and are just finding out that they are carrying their child within them. They need our encouragement and support, no matter how unplanned, surprising, or shocking the pregnancy may be to them or to us.

The fact that motherhood begins before the mother realizes it reminds us of Jesus’ words from yesterday’s Gospel: “It was not you who chose Me; it was I who chose you to go forth and bear fruit that will last.” God’s choice always comes before ours. When He chooses that someone is to be a mother, let us respond with joyful support.

Posted in Faith, Motherhood, prolife | No Comments »

Fr. Frank’s Statement on Guilty Plea of Man Who Threatened Him & Other Pro-Life Leaders

May 11th, 2012

Amarillo, TX – Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, today issued the following statement upon learning of Theodore Shulman’s guilty plea to charges of threatening pro-life leaders.

“I was informed today that Theodore Shulman pleaded guilty to the charges of threatening pro-life leaders, myself included. I hope that his acceptance of personal responsibility for what he did, and his readiness to serve jail time for it, is for him the beginning of a road of conversion and repentance that will reach even to the point of renouncing his position in favor of legal abortion. Violence against me and other leaders is wrong for the same reason that violence against children in the womb is wrong. Both must be rejected.

“I’m grateful to the detectives and other law enforcement personnel who have worked with me and Priests for Life throughout this case to gather and track the threats that I have received. The NYPD, the FBI, the Joint Terrorist Task Force, and the Department of Justice have done an exemplary and professional job.

“From the point of view of my work as a pro-life leader, I also take this opportunity to point out that violence and threats of violence against pro-life activists are far more common, yet far less visible in the media, than violence and threats of violence against abortionists and abortion supporters. In fact, the latter have used a handful of violent acts by people disconnected from the pro-life movement to try to tar the reputation of the entire movement, and those tactics should have no more place in the public debate over abortion than should violence itself.

“Civil debate is possible; people who disagree deeply on fundamental issues can still respect one another. My own friendship with abortion-rights pioneer Bill Baird, and the frequent pleas we have made together over the years for mutual respect among pro-life advocates and abortion-rights advocates demonstrate the path we can follow as a society. Ultimately, ‘respect for life’ means respect for the unborn and the born, for those who agree with us and those who don’t.

“Meanwhile, Mr. Shulman is in my prayers, and I extend to him my personal forgiveness.”

Posted in Abortion, prolife, Violence | 5 Comments »

We Can’t Choose What Evil We Will Oppose and What Evil We Will Embrace

May 10th, 2012

Often those who defend abortion, knowing that they do not have any valid arguments, resort to blanket criticism of priests for abusing children. What these abortion supporters don’t seem to realize is that by supporting the killing of children, they weaken their argument against the abuse of children. After all, it’s the same victim.

The Church, and so many people of good will, oppose both the abuse and killing of children – and of anyone else as well.

The argument of pro-life people is one of consistency and inclusion. The tragedy of Roe v Wade is summarized in its line that “the word person does not include the unborn.”

Let’s oppose the killing of every and any innocent human life, and call on our opponents to stop being selective in their opposition to evil.

Posted in Abortion, Choice, Pro-Life | 2 Comments »

The Power of Testimony

May 9th, 2012

The Christian Faith advances through testimony. Jesus gives testimony to the Father; the Apostles give testimony to the Resurrection; Paul gives testimony to his conversion; Augustine gives testimony in his Confessions; you and I give and receive the testimony of how Jesus changes the lives He enters. That is why the Silent No More Awareness Campaign is so powerful and necessary. Men and women wounded by abortion and then healed are speaking out about the lie of abortion and the power of Jesus. They are giving testimony to why life must be protected. The power of their testimony is calling many to repentance and healing. If you feel called to give a testimony about your abortion, or know someone else who does, contact us at silentnomoreawareness.org.

Posted in Abortion, prolife, Testimony, Truth | 5 Comments »

Using Images to Combat Rhetoric

May 8th, 2012

Today I want to share with you the following e-mail I received from a pro-abortion person who visited the Priests for Life web site and saw the pictures of aborted babies. She wrote:

“I thought that you would like to know that you have changed the mind of at least one person with your web site, me. Although I have never had an abortion myself, I have always thought that it should be a woman’s right to do what she wanted to her body. Today I stand corrected. Thank you for showing me the truth. I will pray for success in your fight against abortion, and for all the children who die every day.”

Invite others to view these images at priestsforlife.org. You may e-mail and print them. Nothing is more effective to end abortion.

Posted in Abortion, Awareness, prolife, Truth | 5 Comments »

Fr. Pavone welcomes news of latest lawsuit against HHS mandate

May 8th, 2012

Father Frank issued the following statement today about the latest lawsuit to be filed against the HHS contraception mandate:

“I congratulate Legatus for deciding to jump into the legal assault on the HHS Mandate. This brings the total to ten lawsuits, including that of Priests for Life. It is a strategic benefit to have various lawsuits in different parts of the country, so that more courts get involved in ruling on the issues involved, and creating the potential kind of conflict that the Supreme Court may be more likely to resolve.”

Posted in Contraception, HHSmandate, ReligiousFreedom, stophhs | 1 Comment »

Resources for Building a Culture of Life

May 7th, 2012

In their pastoral plan for pro-life activities, the Catholic bishops of the United States have asked that at every Mass a prayer be offered for the defense of human life.

To help parishes fulfill this request, Priests for Life prepares an entire set of Prayers of the Faithful for each Sunday of the year, based on the readings for that Sunday.

Among these petitions each week is a prayer for an end to abortion and other forms of violence, and for the growth of a Culture of Life.

We also provide homily hints and bulletin inserts for each Sunday.

You can find these resources at priestsforlife.org, and we also provide them weekly via email.

Help your pastor today by bringing him these weekly pro-life resources for the liturgy. Visit priestsforlife.org for information.

Posted in Abortion, Catholic, Culture of Life, prolife | No Comments »

Ignoring the Reality of Abortion

May 4th, 2012

One of the best ways to see how to violate all the rules of logic is to examine the arguments – if you can call them arguments at all – of those who try to defend abortion. First of all, the last thing they want to talk about is the very thing they try to defend, namely, abortion. They will talk about choice, freedom, the Constitution, the Church, women’s rights and sometimes, women’s health, but they won’t define or describe abortion itself. The reason is simple: abortion cannot be defended. As soon as it is described, or viewed, the human conscience objects to its obvious violence.

This is why one of the best things a defender of life can say to a defender of abortion is to ask, “Have you ever seen one?”

Posted in Abortion, Conscience, prolife, Truth | 4 Comments »