Mois : décembre 2022

Frank Pavone, a right-wing provocateur who for years defied requests from the Vatican and multiple U.S. bishops to stop engaging in partisan political advocacy inconsistent with his role as a member of the Catholic clergy, has been dismissed from the priesthood. 

In a Dec. 13 letter to the U.S. bishops, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the Vatican’s representative to the United States, said that Pavone — national director of the anti-abortion organization Priests for Life and former advisory board member of the group « Catholics for Trump » — had been found guilty  in canonical proceedings of « blasphemous communications on social media » and of « persistant disobedience » of his bishop. 

According to Pierre’s letter, obtained by NCR, the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Clergy informed Pavone of the decision on Nov. 9, noting that his dismissal from the Catholic priesthood cannot be appealed. 

Pavone’s removal from the clerical state was first reported on Dec. 17 by the Catholic News Agency, which is owned by the Eternal World Television Network (more commonly known as « EWTN ») and confirmed by NCR. 

The 63-year-old former priest sparked fierce backlash in 2016 when he released a video in which he placed the body of an aborted fetus on an altar and urged Catholics not to vote for the Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton. 

More recently, he has denied the 2020 U.S. presidential results and spread false lies that Joe Biden did not lawfully win the presidential election. 

Pavone was first ordained to the priesthood in the New York Archdiocese in 1988, and, in 1993, became director of the pro-life organization Priests for Life. In 2005, he transferred to the Diocese of Amarillo, Texas, with plans to launch an order of priests with the stated purpose of promoting the end of abortion. 

Those plans were soon nixed and over the last two decades, Priests for Life, which boasts of being the « largest ministry in the Catholic Church focused on ending abortion, » has been engulfed in management and financial scandals. 

In 2014, New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who had been tapped by the Vatican to help reform the organization, washed his hands of the group, saying he wanted  » nothing further to do with the organization. »  

Despite claiming to be a non-partisan organization, Pavone has regularly collaborated with the Trump administration and the Republican Party. 

One day after news of his dismissal from the clerical state was announced, Pavone’s social media accounts still contained photos of him with the former president and a photo of him wearing a clerical collar and one of Trump’s « Make America Great Again » baseball caps. 

In 2022, Pavone marked the 35th anniversary of his regular television show, « Defending Life, » on EWTN, a U.S. Catholic media conglomerate that has become known for its regular antagonistic coverage of Francis and partisan political focus, often supportive of Trump. 

According to its most recent publicly available tax documents, in 2018, Priests for Life, which is now headquartered in Florida, had brought in over $10 million that year. Recent communications from Pavone celebrated the forthcoming Republican takeover of the U.S. House of Representatives and said that looking ahead, the organization’s focus would be on the 2023 and 2024 elections. 

Neither Pavone nor Priests for Life immediately responded to NCR’s request for comment about the Vatican’s decision. 

In the immediate aftermath of the announcement, however, Pavone received support from one vocal U.S. Catholic bishop who is known for his own vocal opposition to both abortion and Pope Francis. 

« The blasphemy is that this holy priest is canceled while an evil president promotes the denial of truth and the murder of the unborn at every turn, » wrote Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas, who in 2020 endorsed a video that claimed « You cannot be Catholic and be a Democrat. »

According to Priests for Life’s website, five active ministry U.S. Catholic bishops are listed as serving as bishop advisors to the organization: Peter Jugis of Charlotte, North Carolina; Robert McManus of Worcester, Massachusetts;  Ralph Walker Nickless of Sioux City, Iowa, Clarence Silva, Bishop of Honolulu, Hawaii; and Richard Stika of Knoxville, Tennessee.  

As for Pavone’s future, the official statement from the Vatican’s U.S. nunciature noted that Priests for Life is not a Catholic organization and it would have to decide the nature of Pavone’s relationship to it, given that he is no longer a Catholic priest.

Amid an ongoing global pandemic and increasing corporate greed and arrogance, the producers of « The Letter: A Message for Our Earth » believe the messages of Pope Francis’ 2015 papal encyclical « Laudato Si, On Care for Our Common Home » — the first one to elevate care for the earth as its main concern — are more urgent than ever.

The artistically flawed documentary is nonetheless enlightening and moving, sobering yet hopeful. It will debut at 8 p.m. Dec. 21 on PBS but broadcast times may vary and viewers should consult their local listings. The film will also be available to stream at PBS.org.

A collaboration between the Laudato Si’ Movement and the Vatican, « The Letter » was directed by Nicolas Brown, the British filmmaker best known for 2018’s « The Serengeti Rules. » Brown structures the film around a dialogue the pope conducted in August 2021 at the Vatican with climate activists representing perspectives the pontiff highlighted in his encyclical.

From Senegal, Arouna Kandé represents the voice of the poor; Brazilian Amazon Chief Dadá Borarí of the Maro speaks for indigenous people; teenager Ridhima Pandey of India uplifts the youth; and Hawaiian scientists Greg Asner and Robin Martin advocate for wildlife.

The activists’ stories are as impressive as they are inspiring. The Saharan drought compelled Kandé to move to the city of St. Louis, Missouri, when he was 6-years-old. Forced to beg on the streets, he found refuge in the Maison de la Gare, a non-profit that « helps struggling qur’anic students integrate into society. »

Committed to his home country and now in his 20s, Kandé is determined to become a leader in his village. He witnesses the devastation caused by rising sea levels in the western African nation, where the filmmakers say more than 3,200 people have lost their homes. This reality engendered many in the country to join the growing ranks of climate refugees, projected to be as many as 1.5 billion people by 2050, according to the film.

Because of his outspoken protection of the Brazilian Amazon, Borarí says men pointed guns at his head and tied him to a tree. He dates his concern for deforestation to 2002 when « the peace and quiet ended when logging companies started to subdivide and occupy the land and manage the territory. » The indigenous leader says that some in Brazil « want to turn the Amazon into a financial market » and « extract mineral and harvest wood. »

The documentarians note that since 1978, an area twice the size of Spain has been lost to deforestation in the Amazon; but as the stewards of 80 percent of it, indigenous people will play a critical role in preserving the world’s biodiversity.

The Kedarnath Floods informed 15-year-old Pandey’s activism at a tender age. Striking the North Indian state of Uttarakhand in June 2013, five days of heavy rain precipitated landslides that swept up homes and people, killing more than 5,700. The natural disaster galvanized the young woman many call India’s Greta Thunberg. From Pandey’s viewpoint, the problem of climate change is more personal and urgent for the world’s youth than it is for older generations.

« My generation is the most vulnerable right now, » she says, « and we are going to be most affected in the future as well. »

The precarious future of coral reefs is the focus of the life work of Asner and Martin, the final participants in the papal dialogue. Their high-tech environmental mapping system allows them to gather data on the reefs from images taken from planes. « My office is one of the coolest places on earth, » Martin says of the reefs where she swims to compare her observations with the mapping system data. The film notes that 25 percent of marine life depends upon coral reefs, but marine heat waves alarm the married scientists. If temperatures rise two degrees Celsius, up to 99 percent of coral reefs could die, the documentarians observe.

Hushed reverence, awe and disbelief describe the reactions from the quintet when they meet the pontiff. Kandé likely speaks for all when he says, « I grew up in a society that ignores people like me, so I could not have imagined having this opportunity. »

The pope’s warm, natural way with his company puts them and us, the viewers, at ease. In showcasing Francis’ gift of accompaniment and accessibility to the faithful and the press — one of his papacy’s hallmarks — « The Letter » distinguishes itself from similar documentaries.

Speaking in Spanish because, he says, his « heart is in Spanish, » Francis’ message to the activists aptly reinforces « Laudato Si’. » « We are building a tower of human arrogance, » he says, « and nature is screaming: stop. Unity means saving mother earth, saving biodiversity, saving ourselves and each other. »

As far as art and storytelling go, « The Letter » is admittedly flawed. The use of Billy Williams’ 1957 recording of the jaunty « I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself A Letter » to introduce us to the documentary’s theme and protagonists felt overly whimsical for such a serious film, and viewers will likely be frustrated by the gaping holes in some of the advocates’ narratives. In the retelling of an incident when Borarí’s life was threatened, we are never told how he escaped; nor are we told that the chief has traveled with police protection for 10 years due to constant death threats.

We also don’t learn enough about Pandey’s remarkable achievements at such a young age. At just nine years old, she filed a suit against the Indian government for their failure to meet their Paris Climate Agreement’s commitments and at 11, she attended the 2019 U.N. Climate Action Summit. Viewers should know about these impressive accomplishments.

But despite its shortcomings, « The Letter » contains poignant moments that recommend it to viewers. One involving Kandé is most memorable.

While with the group in Assisi, the hometown of the saint whose 1225 prayer « Canticle of the Sun » inspired his namesake pope’s letter, Kandé receives devastating news from Senegal through a video call with countryman Bilal Seck. Seck tells Kandé about the tragic fate of a friend who didn’t survive in a flimsy boat while trying to escape flooding at home. Emboldened by the news of the tragedy, Kandé tells his new companions in Assisi: « we need to create a strong bond and never break it. »

Such heart-rending stories enhance the film’s vital messages, and the postscript of « The Letter » — « How will you care for our common home? » — will provoke more to follow the inspiring examples of the featured advocates.

The only way « to protect the dignity and human rights of all, to promote justice, reconciliation and dialogue for the sake of enduring peace and to care for our common home » is to strengthen diplomacy and collaboration among nations, Francis said.

Welcoming new ambassadors to the Vatican from Belize, Bahamas, Thailand, Norway, Mongolia, Niger, Uganda and Sudan Dec. 15, the pope thanked the nations they represent for the many ways they contribute « to the common good not only of their citizens but of our entire human family. »

He encouraged them to increase such efforts saying, « your resourcefulness and talents are also gifts that can be placed at the service of the wider world, in both bilateral and multilateral contexts, for the betterment of humanity. »

« In this vital and collective task of striving to safeguard and advance the well-being of men and women everywhere, especially in these days marked by the continued problems associated with the global health crisis and by the entrenched violent conflicts around the world, the concerted action of the whole family of nations and the work of diplomacy are required more than ever, » the pope said.

« Indeed, it is only by striving to confront the problems facing humanity in an increasingly integrated and solidary way that solutions may be found, » he said.

« If peace is to have a chance and the poor the prospect of a better future, » the pope said, « we are all called to show greater vigilance and respond to the call to be peacemakers in our time. »

Other challenges the pope said are impacting fundamental human rights and require greater attention from the international community include: « the lack of universal access to drinking water, food or basic health care; the need for equitable access to education for those all too often excluded; as well as the opportunity for dignified work for all. »

Francis said efforts must be made to ensure that all opportunities are open and accessible to those who are often marginalized, such as those who are sick, have disabilities, young people, « girls — who are frequently given insufficient opportunities for realizing their potential — and all those from impoverished backgrounds at risk of being left behind, forgotten or even deliberately excluded from fully participating in their communities. »

« It is my hope that in the exercise of your high duties, you will be able to seek, both here in Rome and elsewhere, fresh and creative ways of promoting solidarity and social friendship, particularly with the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters, » he said.

As representatives from nearly 200 countries gather for the United Nations Biodiversity Conference in Montreal, environmental activists living in the Amazon region hope the conference’s proposals will generate new projects in favor of the forest and the populations that live in the region.

« More than half of the world’s remaining tropical forests are in the Amazon biome, » said Ima Célia Vieira, researcher and adviser to REPAM, the Pan-Amazonian Church Network, in Brazil.

Vieira says it is a consensus in the scientific community that the Amazon is key in conserving biodiversity and regulating the planet’s climate and that Brazil has already shown it is possible to understand the region and contain the destruction of the Amazon through strong institutions and close supervision.

For Deacon Alirio Cáceres Aguirre of the Archdiocese of Bogotá, Colombia, the Amazon region not only helps remedy the climate emergency, but, due to the complexity of its biome, regulates the heartbeat of the earth.

« The Amazon is the cradle of a new way of living Christianity. The Amazon loves itself, takes care of itself, defends itself. The Amazon is not for sale. It is not only a task of bishops, it is the community of baptized who, from their diversity, navigate (this region), proclaiming the full and overflowing life announced by Jesus, » said Deacon Aguirre, who is also a member of the Mesoamerican Ecclesial Ecological Network, linked to the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon.

The deacon said one of the things to watch for at COP15 was the influence the church’s social doctrine may have among the decision makers from the different countries.

He said a church present in the Amazon is linked to the systemic change explained in the papal documents Laudato Si’, Fratelli Tutti and Querida Amazonia.

« Our civilization requires a profound ecological conversion. To do this, it must have the wisdom of the original peoples who have lived with the jungle for thousands of years without destroying it, » said the deacon.

However, he said, prior conferences indicate that the U.N. is ineffective when it comes to determining the compliance of agreements, and something similar may occur with COP15.

« The lack of political will to finance the Aichi (biodiversity) targets, agreed upon at COP10 in Nagoya, Japan, in 2010, has been evident, » he said.

Deacon Aguirre said COP10’s Strategic Plan for Biological Diversity 2011–2020 died, while the loss of biodiversity has grown exponentially since 1970, reaching 69%. During the same period, the deforestation rate in the Amazon has exceeded 20%, and the increase in its average temperature is above 1°C, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature.

He said members of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon believe COP15 must provide a world framework for biological diversity.

But this, he notes, requires an « economy with a soul, » in which people put the common good before individual interests.

Deacon Aguirre stressed that the Amazon « cannot be considered a commodity. » He said countries must put a moratorium on projects that include fossil fuels and mining.

Vieira agreed.

« It is important that governments and companies make a commitment to reduce subsidies for activities that destroy biodiversity. It is also important to have a plan for the expansion and maintenance of protected areas, respect for the rights of traditional peoples and their territories, » she said.

Vieira said since 2002, members of the Biodiversity Convention have committed to reducing the rate of biodiversity loss, but they have failed. Only two of the 22 proposed global targets were achieved. For a Montreal agreement, political advances are needed for a new pact capable of curbing the loss of species, she said.

« With the advance of deforestation in the Amazon and the worsening risk to biodiversity, the responsibility of participants in Montreal increases. The future of the planet’s biological diversity is at stake, » she said.

Deacon Aguirre put it another way: « Walking together, in synodality, let us nations go from saying to doing, so that the life revealed in the Amazon is admired and protected from the petty interests that threaten it. »