The Second Commandment is “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.” This does not only mean that we shouldn’t use the Lord’s name in cursing when we are angry. It also means that we should not use God’s name or His Word to justify actions that he abhors.

There are religious groups and individuals in our society who do exactly that when it comes to abortion. They say they are “prayerfully pro-choice.” Groups like the “Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice” claim that God’s word allows abortion, and they even celebrate it with pro-choice liturgies.

This is a distortion of God’s word and an abuse of his name. It is a direct violation of the second commandment. Let’s honor the name of God by honoring the lives he creates.

–Fr. Frank

The First Commandment is “I am the Lord your God; you shall not have other gods besides me.” There are many ways of having false gods. Pope John Paul II once wrote that to think we are the ones who decide whether a child should be created is to say that God is not God. At the root of the contraceptive mentality, and at the root of the so-called “pro-choice” mentality, is idolatry. We place our choices before God’s choices. We break the first of all the commandments. In the Old Testament, we read that God’s people committed idolatry when they sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire to demons. Until we end the child sacrifice of legal abortion, we are guilty of the same kind of idolatry. Let us worship the Lord of Life!

–Fr. Frank

Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life

If you are tired about how the secular media and entertainment industry always slant anything that has to do with abortion in a pro-abortion direction, take 42 minutes and click on the link below:

Law and Order show on Abortion

You’ll see an episode of “Law and Order” that aired in the Fall and that delighted pro-lifers and upset pro-aborts.

The episode was based on the killing of abortionist George Tiller. But unlike many news reports, which go from there to simply paint the killer as a “pro-life fanatic” and the pro-life position itself as fanaticism leading to violence, the “Law and Order” episode actually brought some balance into the debate.

First of all, in the episode, the killer is permitted to make a defense based on the intention of saving a life. Now pro-life people rightly proclaim that unborn children are real lives, and they also know that this fact doesn’t justify killing an abortionist. Yet the fictional courtroom in this episode allowed more than real courtrooms normally do when it comes to the abortion debate.

And as the courtroom drama unfolds, we catch a glimpse of the ambivalence of the American people when faced with the reality of abortion. Moreover, we catch a glimpse of the extremism of abortion itself and of the movement that supports it.

For example, an abortionist testifies that he is committed to doing abortions, no matter what the law may eventually say. This leads the DA to comment privately that there is extremism on both sides of the issue. This reflects a growing awareness of atrocities within the abortion industry, as more abortionists are arrested for various types of malpractice and abuse.

In another moving scene, testimony is given of a botched abortion, after which the child is killed outside the womb. This reflects what abortionists call “the dreaded complication,” a child born alive. What often happens in abortion facilities and hospitals is precisely that the child is killed outside the womb. The jury is obviously upset by the revelation and the description of what happened. And even the prosecuting attorney declares, “Each life is special and unique and imbued with inalienable rights.”

Most telling are some of the private conversations between the DA and his assistants. “I grew up thinking Roe v Wade was gospel,” one woman says, but now “I don’t know where my privacy ends and another’s dignity begins.” “The tide has turned,” another says, describing how his daughter was pro-choice until she saw an ultrasound.” In other conversations, it is asserted that “Roe is outdated science…the disabled are protected…defects can be corrected.” One character is even told, “Substitute slavery for abortion” and see if the arguments make sense.

And at one point, the DA declares that one would hope for more consistency, that more pro-life people would oppose the death penalty and that more human rights advocates would find some rights for unborn children.

I won’t tell you how the episode ends, because I’d like you to watch it. And when you do so, be encouraged.

Washington, DC – Commenting on yesterday’s election results, Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, said:

“Elections are ultimately about turnout, and many of the results of yesterday’s elections show that when there is an intensely motivated base, change can occur. That will be our theme as we initiate our political responsibility teams across the country to prepare for the elections of 2010 and to bring about an increase of motivated voters who will advance the culture of life in the voting booth. We are grateful to the many volunteers who registered voters and handed out voter guides in this election cycle.”

Staten Island, NY - Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, announced today that the video posted on his You Tube page (www.YouTube.com/frfrankpavone) that describes a suction abortion has surpassed one million views.

“This is a reason to rejoice,” said Fr. Pavone, “because one of the biggest problems we have regarding abortion is that it’s hidden. Thanks to videos like this, people who think they are pro-choice become fervently pro-life. We receive testimonies literally every day about such conversions. We invite others to spread these videos.”

The suction video, available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBOAPleF1t0, illustrates the most common abortion procedure. In describing it, Fr. Frank quotes abortionists and medical texts, and uses fetal models with actual instruments used in abortions. It was originally posted in March of 2008.

Washington, DC - Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, today urged voters to go to the polls.

“Off-year elections have lower turnout, but we should start to change that. Every level of public service is important, and the positions of candidates for smaller offices on bigger issues matter, even if they don’t have to vote on such issues. Positions on moral issues are an indication of character and worldview. Regarding abortion, if a public servant can’t tell the difference between serving the public and killing the public, he or she does not belong in public office, on any level,” Fr. Pavone concluded.

Today is Election Day. As our bishops have said, “Every voice matters in the public forum; every vote counts.”

We need to use our vote to advance the culture of life. Sometimes candidates for local office say that their positions on big moral issues like abortion don’t matter. But they do, because they measure a person’s character. Besides, those in local office tend to move up to higher office.

And if a politician can’t respect the life of a little baby, how’s he supposed to respect yours?

Don’t miss out on voting today. Find out who is running, and where they stand on life issues. And call your friends and those in your Church groups, and remind them to vote today as well.

–Fr. Frank

Today is All Souls Day, when we commend to God all those who have died. I invite you to commend to God especially the souls of all babies who have been aborted.

In his encyclical “The Gospel of Life” Pope John Paul II says this to the parents of aborted children: “To the Father and to his mercy you can with sure hope entrust your child”. We exercise “sure hope” because we know that St. Paul wrote that God wants all to be saved.

Baptism is the ordinary way to be born into God’s grace. But for those killed without baptism, we can still have sure hope. This weekend and always, let us entrust them to the Lord, who does not forget anyone that He creates, even when we do.

–Fr. Frank

This Sunday, the Church observes All Saints’ Day, and many of those saints were martyrs.
But what is the difference between martyrdom and suicide?

It is the difference between giving and taking.

In suicide, one takes his own life, pretending to be the master of it.

In martyrdom, one realizes that only God is master of his life, and therefore that he cannot hold on to that life at the cost of betraying God. Martyrdom is the very opposite of suicide, because the martyr declares that God alone is Lord of Life, and that being faithful to Him is worth any price, including death.
As we honor the martyrs and all the saints, let’s recommit ourselves to building a world that acknowledges God alone as the Master of life and death.

–Fr. Frank

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs.

Those who work for justice will always be persecuted by those who foster injustice. Those who work to preserve the most basic justice, that is, protecting the right to life, are persecuted all the time, by both believers and non-believers. They are accused of having a narrow focus and a lack of compassion, while in reality they are focused on the most broad-based right of all and have compassion for the most vulnerable of all.

Because they know this, pro-life activists can be at peace in the midst of the persecution. They need not be distracted, nor should they ever doubt themselves. The ridicule they endure is a promised blessing from above, the blessing of suffering for doing what is right.

–Fr. Frank