National clergy leader urges voters to take pro-life convictions into voting booth

Sioux Falls, S.D., Aug 16, 2004 / 22:00 pm

This year’s presidential elections are pivotal for the pro-life movement, says Fr. Frank Pavone. With that focus, the director of the international pro-life organization Priests for Life, will be in the Sioux Falls region this week to speak to thousands of area residents about the November election.

Talks are scheduled to take place Aug. 18-19 at St. James parish in Chamberlain, the John Paul II School in Mitchell, St. Benedict Church in Yankton, and St. Joseph's Cathedral in Sioux Falls. Fr. Pavone will also lead demonstration and prayer vigil in front of the Sioux Falls Planned Parenthood clinic, and will meet privately with Bishop Robert Carlson.

The focus of Fr. Pavone's message is that it is impossible to be a Catholic in good standing with the Church and yet vote for pro-abortion candidates. Fr. Pavone will be aggressively targeting Catholic and Christian voters, and urging them to "bring their Christian convictions into the voting booth on November 2nd."

He will also challenge all priests to make the abortion issue and the election the central focus of all their homilies between now and November and to urge their parishioners to vote pro-life candidates into office.

Fr. Pavone dismissed charges that he and Priests for Life are trying to unfairly influence the presidential election.

"All we are saying is that this year's elections are pivotal for the pro-life movement, and that it is therefore imperative that we elect more public officials who are willing to do something to restore full protection to the lives of unborn children," he said.