Dear Bishop Zurek,
I am writing to urge you to discipline Father Frank Pavone of “Priests for Life.” You have no doubt heard of his escapades desecrating an altar with a dead infant in the past day. Besides being liturgical abuse and further violating that slain baby’s dignity, this is extremely traumatic for many of us who are faithful Catholic mothers and have
suffered traumatic pregnancies or miscarriages.
And his responses on his facebook page are completely unbecoming of a priest. He ridiculed someone who sensibly asked who the child’s mother was. Whoever the mother was, he’s speaking grossly uncharitably about her with no concern for what she must have been suffering to have sought a drastic late-term abortion, and what she is no doubt suffering now after her abortion. He also just posted a video threatening his “enemies” that “you have a lot to worry about.” And in doing these things, he is creating scandal for many faithful who look up to him as a pro-life authority. No pro-life person should be this flippant and cruel to women. This man is trusted and has been sought for counseling by suffering post-abortive women, yet he seems to have no respect or empathy for women nor any common sense.
Father Pavone has a fervent following who tend to calumniate anyone who speaks against his inexcusable tactics. Just yesterday I was repeatedly accused of being pro-abortion and of having an abortion because I spoke up against him. To me as a Catholic mother who has suffered traumatic childbirth, this is an especially painful calumny. I did everything in my power to keep my children alive and have always respected the Church’s teaching on abortion. Pavone’s followers will be emboldened to further abuse the faithful if ecclesiastical authorities such as yourself fail to act decisively in this matter.
Father Pavone has posted some kind of “apology to those he offended” on his Facebook page and claimed he buried the infant, but considering his past behavior he cannot be belived. Blasphemy, scandal, disrespecting the dead and leading the faithful to abuse women is too serious an offense, and there’s nothing stopping him from exhuming the poor infant to use in another stunt. He has become deranged and needs to be removed from ministry before he traumatizes anyone else or degrades the pro-life movement any further.
In addition, I ask that you have the infant’s remains confiscated from him and given a name and proper Christian burial where you are reasonably sure they won’t be disturbed for political stunts ever again.
Respectfully in Christ,
Mary Pezzulo
(Mary Pezzulo)
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