Finances
On September 6, 2011, Bishop Patrick Zurek of the Diocese of Amarillo, Texas, limited Frank Pavone to duties within the Diocese of Amarillo because of a protracted disagreement over financial transparency for Pavone's nonprofit Priests for Life and its affiliates – Rachel's Vineyard, which counsels people affected by abortion, and Gospel of Life Ministries, a lay association for Priests for Life. Pavone remained a priest in good standing until 2022, and the bishop did not allege fiscal impropriety, [4] Gospel of Life Ministries lost its tax-exempt status for failure to file required documentation, according to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) records. [5]
A Catholic World News analysis of tax returns indicated that between 2006 and 2008, Priests for Life spent less than 63% of its revenues on its programs. It also found that Pavone did not draw any salary from the organization. [6] Charity Navigator Priests for Life three stars out of four, with an overall score of 82%. This score is calculated from multiple beacon scores weighted as follows: 90% for Accountability and Finance and 10% for Leadership and Adaptability. Charity Navigator also indicates that 75% of the revenue is spent on programs and 9% on fundraising. [7] The Better Business Bureau Charity Review lists PFL as "Did Not Disclose" indicating that the "organization either has not responded to written BBB requests for information or has declined to be evaluated in relation to BBB Standards for Charity Accountability." It explained, "without the requested information, it is not possible to determine whether this charity adheres to all of the BBB Standards for Charity Accountability." [8]
Upon an appeal filed by Pavone, the Congregation of the Clergy in May 2012 allowed Pavone to minister outside the Diocese of Amarillo, but recognized that he still must obtain specific permission to do so from his bishop. [9]
In November 2012, the Congregation of the Clergy decided that since the principal office of Priests for Life was in the archdiocese of New York, the archbishop of New York was the competent authority to exercise vigilance over the association. [10] Pavone subsequently complied with demands to straighten out the group's finances and returned to New York to become accountable to his home diocese. [11]
In November 2014, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, and former president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, wrote to the bishops of the United States to advise them that the Congregation of the Clergy had conducted an apostolic visitation of Priests for Life the previous year, and had subsequently requested that he "assist Father Pavone with several necessary reforms." Cardinal Dolan wrote to advise the bishops that Pavone had not cooperated with the reforms. As a result, the cardinal told the Vatican that "I am unable to fulfill their mandate, and want nothing further to do with the organization." [12]
In 2017, PFL moved from Staten Island, New York, to Titusville, Florida. [13]
Pre-election videos
In early November 2016, ahead of the elections in the United States, Pavone, a member of Donald Trump's 33-member Catholic advisory council, [25] posted a live video to Facebook in opposition to the continued "child killing" in America, urging people to vote for Trump. The Diocese of Amarillo, Texas, subsequently issued a statement that it was opening an investigation into the placement of a fetus on an altar, which was "against the dignity of human life and a desecration of the altar." [26] In a statement, Pavone indicated that the table was not a consecrated altar, but a table in his office. [27]
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