Thursday, June 18, 2009

Leading Pro-Life Priest Asks, 'Haven't We Learned From the Child Abuse Scandal?'


STATEN ISLAND, NY, June 19 /Christian Newswire/ -- Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, responded today to the news that the Board of Directors of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities concluded at their meeting last week that "it would be desirable for the [U.S. bishops] to withdraw" their 2004 statement, "Catholics in Political Life." 

"It's bad enough that this Association doesn't seem to understand the role of bishops," Fr. Pavone stated. "But what's worse is that it doesn't seem to understand the underlying reason for the bishops' position against honoring pro-abortion public figures. It's not about religion, it's not about academic freedom, and it's not about universities. It's about the proper human response to the barbaric dismemberment of children." 

Fr. Pavone continued, mocking the Association, "Sure, keep advising the bishops. Have them withdraw the statement. How terrible that we should make any clear effort to distance ourselves from the violent child- killing taking place among us." 

Fr. Pavone concluded, "In the view of history, any irresponsible silence of the Church about clergy sex abuse will pale in comparison to the silence of so many about the abortion holocaust." 

Priests for Life is the nation's largest Catholic pro- life organization dedicated to ending abortion and euthanasia. For more information, visit www.priestsforlife.org.