Father Frank Pavone still wants you to join him in voting for Donald Trump next month

Father Frank Pavone is standing with his favored candidate for President of the United States: Donald Trump. Additionally, Father Pavone will continue to encourage others to join him in voting for Trump this November.

Father Pavone’s e-mail comments on voting for Trump were published today in an article by LifeNews.com.

LifeNews.com reports:

“The lewd comments, made over a decade ago and for which Mr. Trump has apologized, and which I, like everyone else, find repulsive, do not in the least change my intentions of voting for him, of urging others to do so, and of advising his campaign,” Pavone told LifeNews.com via email today. “The reason is simple: this presidential election is not about a choice between him and someone better; it’s between him and someone far worse.”

“Moreover, it is not ultimately about either one of them, but rather the good of the nation as reflected in two things: a) What will they do, and b) Who comes into power with them,” Pavone added.

The decision to publicly and firmly support Trump after more (and more) evidence of gross speech and conduct towards women may come as a surprise to some, especially since several leading members of the Republican Party and a somewhat influential lay Catholic political group have rebuked Trump while calling for him to drop out of the race.

After Michael O’Laughlin tweeted two days ago that he had learned of Father Pavone’s resolution first hand, a Patheos article raised concerns related to Father Pavone’s and Priests for Life’s association with and monetary support of the GOP contestant.

One of Trump’s Catholic and pro-life advisors, @frfrankpavone, tells me he’s sticking with Trump, citing the need for pro-life judges.

— Michael J O’Loughlin (@MikeOLoughlin) October 8, 2016

Unaware at the time that Father Pavone would continue to support Donald Trump, Patheos asked if the mission to elect Trump would be aborted.

It could not be clearer, Father Pavone will continue to advise the campaign, is set on voting for Donald Trump, and will be “urging others” to do the same this November.

The LifeNews.com article includes a full statement from Father Pavone and it seems that the comments where the Priests for Life National Director says he would be “urging others” to vote for Donald Trump prefaced the statement or were from a different exchange of e-mails.

I remember using “what if Hugh Hefner promised to appoint conservative judges?” as a reductio ad absurdum a while back …

— Ross Douthat (@DouthatNYT) October 7, 2016

As part of Father Pavone’s statement, some of the reflections on why he will continue to support Donald Trump include the following:

What an incredible reparation Mr. Trump is making now for any past faults by the very fact that he is running as the Republican nominee for President, and is ready to nominate the right kind of judges and sign the right kinds of legislation, which will steer our nation away from so many morally corrupt public policies. A penitent sinner could hardly have a more substantial opportunity to make reparation.

Repentance for the past is Mr. Trump’s current stance (as that of so many Americans!); continuing in a morally corrupt policy posture is the current stance of the Democrats[sic]

It takes a great deal of moral courage, actually, to take the step Mr. Trump is taking by running for public office. He knows his past and knows what will be brought up about it. Yet he is willing to move forward both personally and professionally for the good of the country. The Lord is the one who says, “Your sins I will remember no more.” The one who is known as the “accuser” is the devil.

It is particularly hypocritical for the other side, whose policies and worldview (like that of Planned Parenthood) destroy and distort any meaning that human sexuality has, should be concerned about sexual behavior and comments. Sins of the past are one thing; embracing a bankrupt view of sexuality today, and in public policy, is worse.

Finally, according to Pope St. John Paul II, a government that authorizes the killing of babies by abortion has become “a tyrant state” (Evangelium Vitae, 20). This is not just about one issue; it’s about the very nature of the state, the type of government we have. The Democratic Party and Mrs. Clinton believe that when they are voted into power, they have authority over human rights, a veto power over the right to life. That is a tyrant state, moral corruption institutionalized in policy. That’s far worse, and far more monumental, than anyone’s personal faults, past or present. (Emphasis mine.)

Father Pavone continues to disappoint us in the rationale he employs to support and encourage votes for Donald Trump. Readers of Proper Nomenclature know we are not supporters of Hillary Clinton, but to give Trump’s policies and practices, as well as those of the GOP leadership (especially from previous administrations), a pass when it comes to condemning moral bankruptcy is, in itself, intellectually bankrupt.

No one should be tricked into thinking that to be ‘pro-life’ is to necessarily vote for Donald Trump or any GOP candidate; indeed, it is often the case that voting for a member of the Republican party, as it is with voting for a member of the Democratic party, is voting for a candidate who embraces policies of death.

As we have done in the past, we encourage readers to consider the USCCB’s Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship (found here) and disregard incomplete guidance that lacks nuance (like that of Phoenix Priest’s Fr. Lankeit’s homily) while moving away from the leadership of the U.S. Bishops.

Until next time,

Keith Michael Estrada