Father Pavone, the national director of Priests for Life and one of America’s leading pro-life advocates, has been suspended by his bishop in what is apparently a dispute over Pavone’s “ego” (the bishop’s word) and the pro-life organization’s finances. (For a good summary of the issue, go to Mark Shea’s post of today, and the links there.) I have a general bias in these matters: I think that for men and women of the cloth, religious/pastoral work should take precedence over political activism. So perhaps Father Pavone’s bishop is right, that Pavone has become carried away emotionally by pro-life work to such an extent that he has lost his spiritual focus.

But whether that is the case or not, let me offer this personal testimony on Father Pavone’s behalf: Many years ago, back when I was strongly pro-choice, he was one of the pro-life advocates I liked and respected most, and one of the best at tackling the real issues with both seriousness and charity. (And think of the obstacles he had to overcome. Here was a guy from Priests for Life — wearing a Roman collar, no less — and yet the sheer power of his argument and his strength of personal witness made it impossible for a fair listener to dismiss what he was saying as sectarian special pleading.) It would not be accurate to say that he was the one who converted me to my current pro-life views; but I admired him so greatly that when I finally switched, I was very glad to find myself on his side on this crucial human-rights issue of our time. As Shea says, Father Pavone may or may not have gone off track somewhat — in a church with a strong hierarchical principle, such as the Catholic Church, there is a relatively clear-cut process for adjudicating a question like that — and he may need to reconsider some of what he does; but there should be no doubt that he is a good man.