Fr. Frank, Director of Priests for Life, correctly addresses many issues facing our culture, and in this issue the problems of voting for a particular candidate or party, based on their pro-life or pro-abortion position, as well as the responsibilities of 501(c)(3) organizations. Fr. Frank’s organization has also paid for exhaustive legal analysis of the Roe vs Wade decision, as well as legal guidelines for political activity under the Federal Government’s 501(c)(3) organizations. The analysis is available on his website, which is linked below.
We are all experiencing overwhelming joy with the release of the Bloody Sunday Report, which was heavily influenced by pressure from brother Hibernians. Let’s build upon this recent success and put our whole heart and soul into bringing about an end to abortion in this country!
From Matthew’s Gospel Chapter 5, Verse 6: “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.”
Dear Hibernian Brothers,
Please take a moment today to watch the video I’ve just placed at www.YouTube.com/frfrankpavone. It’s the third in my special series about how and why we pray to end abortion.
It just takes two minutes!
Then please do two other things:
a) Subscribe to my YouTube channel (hit the “Subscribe” button on my YouTube channel and follow the instructions).
b) Join our Facebook cause “Pray to End Abortion” which you can access by going to www.ProLifePrayers.com.
All this is gearing up, of course, to our Pro-life Freedom Rides that start next month. They will start in Birmingham, AL with the strong support of the local bishop. We will have a concert rally the night of July 23, a prayer vigil the morning of July 24, and then midday will ride to Atlanta on a Freedom Ride bus. Others can join us in their own vehicles, forming a pro-life caravan. We will conclude in Atlanta with a prayer service at the tomb of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.
If you can come, please come! (See ProLifeFreedomRides.com).
Otherwise, our Freedom Rides website explains how you can be Freedom Rider for the Unborn in your own community.
After my column below you will see this week’s media schedule.
Blessings and prayers,
Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life
I was recently asked what kind of criticism comes from pro-life people regarding the political activities of the pro-life movement. Such criticism does come regularly, and, interestingly, it takes two contradictory forms. On the one hand, many pro-life people claim our movement is not strong or aggressive enough politically. They complain that we do not set the standard high enough by which a candidate should be considered “pro-life”, do not hold their feet to the fire if they are elected, and do not elicit in them the fear that we can punish them politically. In particular, pro-life people are fed up with what they perceive to be a failure of the clergy to do what is needed to stop the killing. One problem here is an unwillingness to carry out those activities that the IRS indicates Churches may do and still maintain their 501 (c)(3) status — such as non-partisan voter registration drives and voter guides that do not directly or indirectly endorse or oppose candidates, parties or their positions. Often, this inactivity is accompanied by outlandish, exaggerated, and inaccurate portrayals of what IRS guidelines require, and those who put forward these portrayals have no expertise in that area of the law. On the other hand, a criticism many pro-life people voice is that the pro-life movement is too political, too partisan, and too identified with the Republican Party. The real weakness here is a lack of understanding of what “non-partisan” really means. It does not mean that we have to avoid any activity that in fact helps a candidate or party. Rather, it means that we pursue the goals for which our Church or 501(c)(3) organization was established without regard for whether they help or hurt a particular candidate or party. Ironically, therefore, the very complaint that an activity helps a candidate is in the end often more of a partisan action than is the activity against which the complaint is leveled — simply because the complaint shows more concern about helping or hurting the candidate than the activity does. For instance, the bishops teach that life is the fundamental right, and that concern for this right carries more weight in our voting decisions than other issues. Now indeed, such a teaching helps pro-life candidates and parties, and hurts pro-choice candidates and parties. But being non-partisan doesn’t mean we keep silent. It means we speak no matter what, and moreover, it means that if tomorrow the parties or candidates swapped their positions on abortion, our message would not change a single word. So, another political season is upon us. I, for one, will be more aggressive than ever. As for who qualifies as “pro-life,” I prefer to speak (and listen) in descriptive rather than evaluative terms: what is this candidate willing to do to protect the babies? Don’t give me labels, give me specific commitments. And as for being partisan, I belong to neither major party, and will continue to challenge both to protect the unborn. This column can be found online here. Comments on this column? Go to www.AskFrFrank.com. Fr. Frank’s columns are podcast. Upcoming schedules for our own TV shows and Radio programming: Defending Life: Watch on EWTN every Friday at 10pm ET and Saturday at 2:30am ET. Listen on EWTN radio every Friday at 1am ET, Saturday at 6:30pm ET and Sunday at 5am ET. For more information or to listen online go to www.ewtn.com. Week of June 21: Embryoscopy (Most Stunning Views of the unborn) Gospel of Life: Watch on Catholic Familyland – Sunday at 1am, Monday at 9am, Wednesday at 3:30am and Thursday at 11:30 pm and on the National Religious Broadcasters network (NRB), Wednesday at 6pm ET. Week of June 21 on Catholic Familyland: Supreme Deception Week of June 21 on NRB: I Regret Lost Fatherhood Fr. Peter West, Associate Director, will be on Catholic Answers Live, Monday July 12 at 6PM ET with host Patrick Coffin. Call in with your questions at 1-888-318-7884. Click here for station information and to listen live on the internet. Fr. Frank Pavone will be the main celebrant and homilist on the EWTN Live Televised Mass on Friday, July 23 and Saturday, July 24, 2010. The Mass airs live at 8am ET and repeats and 12 noon ET, 7pm ET (except Saturday and Sunday) and 12 midnight ET. Hear us on EWTN radio on Catholic Connection with Teresa Tomeo. Fr. Frank Pavone is her guest every Wednesday from 9:35-10am ET and Janet Morana is her guest every Friday from 9:10-9:30am ET. For radio station information and to listen to the live show on the internet, go to www.avemariaradio.net . Please tune in and spread the word! In fact, you can help us – and your whole parish — by asking your pastor to place in the parish bulletin an announcement about our TV shows. Thanks in advance! Priests For Life
