Staten Island-based Priests for Life Faces Financial Trouble
By Maura Grunlund
The Vatican and a bishop have cleared Father Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life in New Dorp, of any financial wrongdoing but the damage -- at least in terms of fund-raising -- has been done. The Vatican's Congregation for the Clergy recently upheld Father Pavone's position that he never was suspended from priestly ministry. Father Pavone had appealed to the Vatican after a dust-up with his superior, Bishop Patrick Zurek of the Diocese of Amarillo (Texas), over what was then an annual Priests for Life budget of about $10 million. Priests for Life raised more than $40 million from 2004 to 2008, according to its tax returns. But the organization reported finishing 2010 with a revenue shortfall of $1.4 million. Bishop Zurek recalled Father Pavone to Amarillo and temporarily suspended him from ministering outside the diocese in September 2011 amid questions about whether Father Pavone properly accounted for millions of dollars in donations. A Vatican decree allows Father Pavone to minister outside the Diocese of Amarillo but he still must obtain specific permission to do so Bishop Zurek, according to the decree. The decree from the Congregation of the Clergy was dated May 18. Bishop Zurek said in a June 20 statement that the congregation "has sustained Father Frank A. Pavone's appeal of his suspension from ministry outside the Diocese of Amarillo." Bishop Zurek said that Father Pavone could continue in his pro-life activities provided they were approved in advance by the bishop, according to the Catholic News Service. Father Pavone also must continue his ministry as chaplain to the Disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ religious order. He was appointed chaplain by the bishop, the Catholic News Service said. "We are happy to announce that the Vatican has upheld Father Frank Pavone's appeal and has declared that Father Pavone is not now nor has ever been suspended." said Jerry Horn, a senior advisor to Father Pavone. "Father Pavone remains a priest in good standing all over the world." Father Pavone sent e-mails pleading with supporters for donations and stressed that his group doesn't receive any funding from the church, despite being endorsed by the Vatican and supported by bishops throughout the United States. "The simple fact of the matter is that Priests for Life is in desperate need of your gift today," Father Pavone said. "For months now I was putting forward a rosy picture of our situation because I didn't want to give our enemies the satisfaction of knowing how much damage they'd caused." Horn declined to reveal specifics about the ministry's finances or to say whether there would be reductions in staff. However, Horn did acknowledge the ministry's dire circumstances in an e-mail addressed to supporters. "We need your sacrificial support in the next few days just to pay a stack of overdue bills that have been piling up on Father's desk," Horn said. "And that's just the beginning." The timing could not be worse since Father Pavone wants his ministry to be an influential factor in the U.S. presidential and other elections. "The 2012 elections mark a pivotal moment for our nation," Father Pavone said. "We must make a stand and defy the secular powers who promote abortion and who have launched a major assault against all things religious -- including the Catholic Church!" Despite the financial quandary and time that Father Pavone was in Texas, the ministry's projects and travels have continued without interruption. Father Pavone currently is at a National Right to Life Conference in Washington, D.C., and is "walking the halls of Congress to be the Catholic voice for the unborn," Horn said. "Priests for Life has been very involved in the fight against the Health and Human Services contraception mandate, and our lawsuit against it continues," Horn said. "Our Pastoral Team has been traveling nationally and internationally." The Diocese of Amarillo affirmed in September 2011 that Pavone was "a priest in good standing with the Roman Catholic Church," in a statement released by Monsignor Harold Waldow, vicar of clergy for the diocese. The monsignor said that a "dispute about the auditing process and the complete audit for all the entities of Priest for life, Rachel's Vineyard and the Missionaries of the Gospel of Life does not mean that Father Pavone is being charged with any malfeasance or being accused of any wrongdoing with the financial matters of Priests for Life."
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