Lord, for whom all things are possible,
We are confronted once again today
With the evil of the abortion industry
And the corruption found
In the world’s largest abortion business, Planned Parenthood.
Lord, we pray for all who plan to be parents,
And we ask your mercy on those
Who teach others to reject parenthood.
In the light of your Word, Lord,
We affirm today that children are a blessing from you,
And that the origin of all parenthood
Is likewise in You, the God of life and love.
Therefore, Oh God,
We stand against the evil that has been exposed
In Planned Parenthood
And in the entire abortion industry.
We stand today for the triumph
Of truth over falsehood,
Of light over darkness,
And of life over death.
Bring an end to the killing of children in the womb,
And bring an end to the sale of their body parts.
Bring conversion to all who do this,
And enlightenment to all who advocate it.
Close the doors of the death camps in our midst,
And open the doors of your mercy and healing!
Close the grisly trade in baby body parts,
And open the abundant gifts of your salvation and life!
Hasten the day when our land
Will no longer be stained with innocent blood,
And when the bodies of all your children
Will be raised from the dead
And set free forever.
We pray in the name of Jesus the Lord. Amen!
–Rev. Frank Pavone, National Director, Priests for Life
3 Comments
Doug Lawrence's Catholic Site 
During the Republican National Convention of 2004, Fr. Frank Pavone–on national live television–proclaimed himself a “proud” supporter of George W. Bush. The latter was then the author of at least two unconstitutional wars built on outright lies and gross injustices. The hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties that resulted from the “Mission(s) (not) Accomplished” included tens of thousands of born children, along with unknowable numbers of unborn.
From that point forward, Fr. Pavone’s stock sank to less than zero in my moral portfolio. He grandstanded as a GOP stooge–a “useful idiot,” if you will–and has never, to my knowledge, walked back his statement, let alone expressed any regrets for it.
Mark, you make a good point. That was an unfortunate moment of irrational exuberance. However, W and a handful of pro-life politicians were the only ones with the “guts” to publicly support the annual Washington, DC March for Life. In W’s case, he typically made a public phone call to the leadership, from the White House, shortly before the March would begin. Two or three other politicians actually made personal appearances on-stage, prior to the March, while virtually every other senator and representative arranged to be conveniently out of town on that day. The logistics of the March and the various events, before and after, also required substantial political support from key politicians in a town known for open hostility to pro lifers. As for Father Pavone … I know him … he’s the genuine article … not perfect by any means … but genuine. The man is truly pro-life, he’s a good priest, an inspiring preacher and he successfully carries out his particular mission 24/7 and 365 … which is a lot more than most of us ever do. He also receives scant support from the Catholic hierarchy, taking nothing but flak from most of of them, and from about half of the alleged Catholic “faithful” as well. So, in spite of Fr. Frank’s political failings, imperfections and limitations, he has always been firmly and consistently on the right side of the abortion issue, he has never been afraid to publicly preach about it, build coalitions, and fight against determined and well funded opponents, like Planned Parenthood. The pro life community is certainly much better off with him than without him. We need him, so please cut him a little slack. Thanks for commenting, Mark. It was nice to hear from you.
Doug
To spread the opprobrium a little thinner: Fr. Pavone, in the 2004 election season, exhibited the huge blind spot that is all to prevalent among “pro-lifers.” He disregarded the innocent lives of the born. It is most unfortunate that, both in perception and reality, “pro-life” is virtually synonymous with “anti-abortion.” That blind spot of which I spoke is the reason.
As for W’s phone call, it was a minimal effort that succeeded in continuing to lead pro-life voters around by the rings through their noses: as the GOP has been doing for years with its useless platform plank and minimal legislative curbs on abortion. Has a “pro-life” president ever actually joined the ranks and marched in DC? No. Not Reagan, not HW, not W. All I can say about their phone calls is: Talk is cheap.
Another specific: During Terri Shiavo’s protracted murder, W—and Jeb—both expressed helplessness to intervene because of the murderous, lawless judge’s “order.” Either could have saved Terri’s life by sending in either FBI agents or State Troopers to stop a murder-in-progress. The local cops abetting this actual crime would not have fought back, but would have retreated without raising their weapons—possibly feeling great relief. There would have been no bloodshed.
“Pro Lifers” supported John McCain. That’s “Bomb-bomb-bomb, bomb-bomb Iran” John McCain. I could go on, but I’ll stop here.