Welcome registrant:
glselden
Liam
How is it that Fr. Frank Pavone is cancelled — even barred from offering a funeral Mass for his own mother — while James Martin, SJ is celebrated?
One American priest spent his priesthood defending the unborn.
The other distorting Church teaching on homosexuality. pic.twitter.com/DXcajgb6n2— John-Henry Westen (@JhWesten) December 19, 2025
White to move and mate in 2.
And
And… Merry Christmas!
The Krampus Christmas parade, Austria
pic.twitter.com/SM1XBQSGYW— Science girl (@sciencegirl) December 19, 2025
And… Happy Birthday again Marines!
Scotland Honoring US Marines pic.twitter.com/wyT3OKhj6e
— Playteaux (@Playteaux1) December 18, 2025
Loading ...
Praying that all the CBN audience comprehends the significance of the mosaic of Peter as keeper of the keys…
Western’s tweet is disingenuous. Mr. Pavone cannot celebrate any Mass, because he’s a layman. The phrasing acts as if he was specifically banned from a funeral Mass for his mother. Mr. Pavone was de-frocked for flagrant disobedience. Just because Fr. Martin is also disobedient doesn’t mean Mr. Pavone was not. Fr. Martin should experience the same punishment as Mr. Pavone, not the opposite as Western suggests.
It’s not a custom I grew up with, so I have no context or history with it, but people really seem to get into the Krampus side of things.
Fr. Pavone is a Priest and always will be. The same as Fr. Martin.
God will judge them both. Remember, Saint Athanasius was excommunicated when he died.
Alas it is not so simple. There’s no “laic-cleric-laic” binary switch in the Catholic understanding of the priesthood – Being “defrocked” – or reduced to the lay state, is simply the most complete removal of a man’s rights and permissions to exercise his priesthood. Ordination, like baptism, is understood as indelible and ontological, as such a validly-ordained priest is “a priest forever” although he has been forbidden to present himself as or function as such except in the state of gravest emergency. IOW it’s still there but he’s forbidden to use it!
The classic example would be if such a man was on a sinking ship with no other priest present, he not only could – but should – absolve penitents validly.
Can a defrocked Priest be reinstated?
Temporarily or permanently?