New York, NY. In response to the criticism some have voiced to his statements that Terri Schiavo's death was a murder, Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, issued the following statement this morning:

"Terri Schiavo was in fact murdered by being deprived of food and water for 13 days. The reason Michael Schiavo's attorney George Felos was so upset that I said this is because he is a euthanasia advocate, and the only way to advance euthanasia is to sugar-coat it, and never call it murder. But it is. Moreover, it is inaccurate to describe Terri Schiavo's death as peaceful and gentle. I was with her for several hours the night before she died and again the next morning up until ten minutes before she died. She was in an agony unlike anything I have ever seen, and to describe it in any other way is irresponsible and dishonest.

"As for Mr. Felos' plea that I speak words of compassion and reconciliation, I have indeed done so publicly over recent months. But compassion does not mean compromising the truth, and reconciliation is possible only when one repents of doing evil acts like killing. The role of a priest, moreover, is not simply to make people feel good, but to denounce injustice and proclaim truth, no matter how discomforting it may be."