Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life and Mark Crutcher of Life Dynamics have, for years, been in the forefront of the fight to save the lives of innocent unborn babies. We who know them well are confused and worried about Father Pavone’s recent recall to the Diocese of Amarillo. It would be nice to have one more video to add to these three, telling us all is well. The last we heard about Bishop Zurek was that he had requested to see Fr. Pavone on October 13.

AMARILLO, Texas (CNA/EWTN News) — The Diocese of Amarillo confirmed that despite an invitation from Bishop Patrick Zurek, Father Frank Pavone did not meet with him on Oct. 13 and has instead asked for mediation.

“I advised Father Frank not to have this private meeting until the process of mediation is underway,” Father David Deibel, canon lawyer for Father Pavone and Priests for Life, said in an Oct. 14 statement

Mark Crutcher on Father Pavone

Father Pavone speaks out (Part 1)

Father Pavone speaks out (Part 2)

 

Mark Crutcher of Life Dynamics
October 7, 2011
Contrary to what some of his supporters contend, not everyone who criticizes Barack Obama is a racist. The fact is, unless these Obama apologists are complete morons, they know that this is nonsense – even while they are in the midst of making the charge. It’s a shabby little game in which the “race card” is deployed as a way to cut off any criticism of Obama.
There is a parallel phenomenon in the Christian community and, in recent days, I have seen it first hand as a result of my defense of Father Pavone. Because I have helped to expose the contemptible actions taken against him by his bishop, the “anti-Catholic” card is now being played against me.
Let me be perfectly clear about this. While the people doing this are certainly entitled to their own beliefs, they are not entitled to their own facts. Here is just a tiny part of what they are conveniently leaving out of the equation.
Since I started Life Dynamics, well over half my employees have been Catholic, including three of my personal assistants. The attorney who represents us is Catholic. The majority of our donors are Catholic, and the only person I have ever given authority to make major decisions for Life Dynamics other than me is Catholic.
In addition to Priests for Life, I also work hand in hand with groups like Human Life International (HLI), American Life League, Pro-Life Action League and numerous other Catholic organizations. I was very close to HLI founder, Father Paul Marx, and remained in regular contact with him until his death. It may also surprise some to know that Father Marx was a faithful and long-time donor to Life Dynamics. In 2002, I received the first annual Cardinal Von Galen Award from HLI and, in 2004, I was given the Cardinal O’Connor Pro-Life Hall of Fame Award by Legatus. I was also given the 2009 Blogger of the Year award by American Life League.
Moreover, I have consistently made it clear that the Catholic Church and its associated organizations were on the frontlines of the pro-life battle when the vast majority of my fellow Southern Baptists were perfectly comfortable looking the other way. I have also shown no reluctance to publicly defend the Catholic Church or state that, without its commitment to this cause, there would have never even been a pro-life movement.
I could go much further down this track, but the point is that these efforts to portray me as “anti-Catholic” are absurd and despicable. The people doing this are motivated by the fact that I do not ascribe to the view that the Catholic hierarchy, or any other church’s hierarchy, is to be installed upon a pedestal and given authority that is absolute and beyond scrutiny. In their minds, that makes me “anti-Catholic” in the same way that criticizing Obama’s stimulus plan makes someone a racist in the minds of some hardcore Obamanistas.
In fairness, it should be noted that self-pious bigotry is not a disease that only infects Catholics. Over the years, many non-Catholics have felt the need to call my office and warn me that if I continue to associate with Catholics – or as they describe them, “that cult of cloven-hoofed heretics” – I will eventually find myself with a window seat on the Hell Bound Express. Regrettably, a couple of these nitwits have checked in with me in the last couple of days. It seems they are quite amused that a bunch of Catholics would like to see me rotating over a low flame because of my aggressive defense of a Catholic priest.
The irony about this is that none of these people would now be attacking me if I had simply abandoned Father Frank when Bishop Zurek dropped him in the grease. Of course, it may not be ironic at all. It could be that it reflects the simple reality that these people are just opposite sides of the same coin – though both would become enraged at such a suggestion.
Before closing, I want to bring up a couple of other issues. First, notice how quiet the pro-choice mob is being. Obviously, these people understand the concept that when your enemy is in self-destruct mode, the smartest thing to do is keep your mouth shut. My prediction is that, once all of this is resolved, they will have plenty to say.
Second, I can assure you that if the things that are going on behind the scenes of this regrettable situation are ever made public, the people who are now blindly defending Bishop Zurek are going to be stunned at what they learn. I can also assure you that these revelations will not be coming from me.
Finally, I want to make you aware of an interesting phone call I received yesterday. It was from Dr. Levon Yuille who is an African-American pastor in Michigan and unwavering defender of the unborn. He told me that, a couple of years ago, he was giving a speech at a pro-life banquet and that, afterward, he was milling around chatting with a small group of attendees. He said that he can’t remember why but, for some reason, Father Frank’s name came up. At some point in the conversation, he said this well-dressed woman standing nearby suddenly blurted out that, “Father Pavone is getting too big for his britches and we’re going to take him down.”
Dr. Yuille said he found this incident bizarre but that he had forgotten about it until he heard what Bishop Zurek was doing. After some discussion, we both concluded that it is a long shot to assume that her statement and this situation are related. But who knows?

LET US PRAY.