By Karen Smith Welch
Amarillo Globe-News
October 14, 2011
http://amarillo.com/news/local-news/2011-10-13/despite-bishops-meeting-request-pavone-no-show#.TpiTC7KarIU
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| Bishop Patrick J. Zurek. |
Embattled activist priest Frank Pavone did not respond to Bishop Patrick J. Zurek’s public invitation for a private meeting Thursday, the bishop said.
Zurek included the invitation in an Oct. 6 statement he issued regarding his demand for greater financial transparency from three anti-abortion charities led by Pavone, the largest of which has drawn donations of $7 million to more than $10 million annually since 2004, according to its tax returns.
The statement said Zurek made the invitation to discuss Pavone’s “spiritual progress during this time of prayer and reflection.”
Zurek’s statement garnered coverage from media and bloggers nationwide due to the prominent role Pavone’s Priests for Life plays in pro-life circles. Pavone, the nonprofit’s international director, makes wide use of television, radio and social media to further his groups’ collective mission, and has apparently continued to do so while restricted to Amarillo.
But by 5 p.m. Thursday — closing time at the diocese offices — Pavone had yet to appear.
“I would welcome a meeting with Father Pavone, face to face, a meeting as his bishop,” Zurek said. “I am still waiting for a favorable response to that.”
Pavone and Priests for Life spokesman Jerry Horn did not return multiple messages Thursday. Pavone tweeted messages unrelated to the conflict Thursday afternoon. No statements were published on the Priests for Life website or its Facebook page.
“Looking forward to Charismatic prayer mtg. tonite w the sisters w whom I’m staying,” Pavone tweeted at 6:16 p.m., referring to Prayer Town, the rural setting of a tiny Franciscan charismatic religious community near Cal Farley’s Boy’s Ranch.
The convent, where Pavone has been living since being restricted to the Amarillo diocese Sept. 13, is west of Amarillo and 1,700 miles from Priests for Life’s headquarters in Staten Island, N.Y.
Pavone will remain in Amarillo indefinitely until questions are resolved about the operations of Priests for Life and its affiliate charities, Rachel’s Vineyard and Gospel of Life Ministries, Zurek has said. He ordered Pavone to Amarillo last month, when he sent a fiery letter to Roman Catholic bishops across the United States referring to questions about the finances of Pavone’s groups.
Rachel’s Vineyard helps people affected by abortion. Gospel of Life is an interfaith lay association for Priests for Life; as such, it is not under the direct control of the Catholic Church, according to a 2010 Priests for Life audit.
Zurek also has prohibited the priest from traveling for his nonprofits and appearing on the independent Eternal Word Television Network, which is based in Alabama and available to 160 million households worldwide.
The bishop has not accused Pavone of financial impropriety, and he remains a priest in good standing. Pavone has celebrated Mass and heard confession at Prayer Town and other diocese locations.
When Zurek’s criticism went public in mid-September, Priests for Life posted the 2010 audit on its website. Pavone has said that document has been provided to the bishop, along with numerous other records requested by Zurek.
The audit shows Priests for Life finished 2010 with a $1.4-million revenue shortfall.
Zurek declined to specify his concerns about the charities’ finances Thursday.
“This is a delicate internal church matter that needs to be resolved between a bishop and his priest,” Zurek said. “This is parallel to a human resources matter in the secular workplace. And it is even more sensitive when you factor in the relationship between a bishop and his priest as one similar to a father to a son or a brother to a brother.
“In this case, right now, a real concern for me is Father Pavone.”
Pavone placed himself under the jurisdiction of the Amarillo diocese in 2005. He had been similarly limited to work within the Archdiocese of New York, so he chose to join the Amarillo diocese where Zurek’s predecessor, now-retired Bishop John W. Yanta, promised an opportunity for Pavone to devote himself full-time to anti-abortion work.
The move included Pavone’s promise to build a $130-million pro-life seminary that never materialized.
Pavone has appealed Zurek’s decision to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Clergy, Zurek said.
Canon law gives a bishop leading a diocese direct authority. Canon lawyers have said Rome typically avoids interfering with a bishop’s decision.
Pavone has said he does not expect to remain in Amarillo and could wind up being transferred to another church home.
Many of Pavone’s supporters have called the bishop’s decision an unwarranted attack and an attempt to undermine a high-profile leader in the pro-life movement.
Pavone has said he is obeying Zurek.
“Even as you read this I am praying for and working toward a speedy resolution of my current situation,” said a donation plea bearing Pavone’s signature, issued Tuesday by Priests for Life. “In obedience to my bishop, I am carrying on with our shared pro-life mission from a convent here in Amarillo.”
But the solicitation letter points to “misinformation and outright attacks” though it does not attribute those squarely to Zurek.
“... There are people who call themselves ‘Catholic’ who want to destroy Priests for Life,” the letter states. “They are part of what Pope Paul VI alluded to in 1972 when he said that ‘the smoke of Satan has entered the temple of God.’
“In reality these self-proclaimed ‘Catholics’ are heralds of the culture of death. And their strategy right now is to put out a constant drumbeat of lies and false accusations against Priests for Life in the hope that unsuspecting people will begin to believe them and stop supporting Priests for Life.”
On Thursday, Zurek re-emphasized the message of his Oct. 6 statement. The charities’ use of money, not their mission, is in question, he said.
“In no way would I want to harm, in any way, form or fashion, the pro-life movement,” Zurek said.
Pavone’s supporters also have asserted that the priest has been secluded in virtual “solitary confinement,” describing austere living conditions with no phone access.
On Thursday, Zurek said the priest has his cell phone, Internet and e-mail access, “and he’s obviously using it.”
Zurek also declared untrue Internet speculation that Pavone has been prevented from seeing a doctor.
“I have never received a request to visit a doctor,” Zurek said.
Priests for Life defends no-show.
Amarillo Globe-News Reporter Karen Smith Welch can be reached at karen.welch@amarillo.com.
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