July 21, 2001
PRIESTS FOR LIFE
By Bishop Kenneth J. Povish
If you read this newspaper, or any of the monthly Catholic magazines, or even
articles about abortion in the "pro-choice" secular press, you have been seeing
the name of Father Frank Pavone with increasing frequency in the past year. He
is a priest of the Archdiocese of New York and has served on the Vatican's
Pontifical Council for the Family in years past. In 1993 he was authorized by
the late Cardinal John O' Connor to lead the Priests for Life movement,
recognized under Canon Law as an Association of the Faithful.
It now has bishops, priests and deacons (including your writer), all over the
United States and even abroad, committed to "assisting God's people to proclaim,
celebrate and serve the Gospel of Life." Styling itself as "pro-woman,
pro-family, and pro-life," Priests For Life have a very public record of
rejecting violence against abortion providers all the while stoutly defending
the rights of the unborn.
In April, Father Pavone and Priests For Life received the "Proudly Pro-Life
Award" from the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) at its annual banquet at
the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. This was in recognition of the role of
Father Pavone and his movement in the 2000 elections, wherein, without
mentioning candidates' names, they conveyed the message of truth and life to the
public. Many in politics acknowledge the influence this had on the election,
according to the NRLC.
In his response at the banquet, Father Pavone said, "There is a justifiable
fear in the ranks of the pro-abortion movement. Abortion facilities are closing,
workers are leaving and becoming pro-life, doctors are increasingly unwilling to
perform abortions, and opinion polls keep moving in our direction."
Then he announced the beginning of the effort to have a pro-life Senate in
Washington after the 2002 mid-term elections.
SHOWING ABORTION
Priests for Life has been challenging the national and local media to
show the American people on television what an abortion is. The pro-choice
interests, so called, are horrified at the thought. Planned Parenthood, the Ford
Foundation and the like pressure the sympathetic media to keep abortion off the
TV screen. They know what happened when the partial-birth abortion procedure was
shown on film to both houses of Congress during the last administration -- the
Congress passed laws twice banning this procedure, which is really infanticide;
and it would have become law if Clinton had not vetoed it both times and
if a few more Democrats had voted to overrule. If you want to see for yourself
what an abortion does to an unborn child, go to the website at
