Controversial Catholic priest under church investigation for displaying aborted fetus in pro-Trump video

The Rev. Frank Pavone, a controversial Texas priest, is coming under criticism from his church for publicly displaying an aborted fetus in a video encouraging Roman Catholics to vote for Donald Trump.

In the Facebook videos (which have been deleted), Pavone placed what he said was an aborted male fetus onto an altar as he delivered a political speech.

“I am showing him to you because in this election we have to decide if we will allow this child killing to continue in America or not,” he said. 

“Hillary Clinton and the Democratic platform says yes, let the child killing continue —and you pay for it. Donald Trump and the Republican platform says no; the child should be protected.”

In a written statement, Bishop Patrick Zurek of the Texas diocese where Pavone serves condemned the “desecration” and said that he was “opening an investigation” into the priest’s videos. Pavone is currently listed as a member of Trump’s Catholic Advisory Group.

“Father Frank Pavone has posted a video on his Facebook page of the body of an aborted fetus, which is against the dignity of human life and is a desecration of the altar,” he wrote. “We believe that no one who is pro-life can exploit a human body for any reason, especially the body of a fetus.”

Zurek also noted that Pavone’s organization, Priests for Life, is a civil institution and not operated by the Catholic church.

The investigation into Pavone’s conduct came after he received an outpouring of outrage from high-ranking Catholic officials, including Ed Mechmann, director of public policy for the Archdiocese of New York, who called the fetus display “absolutely appalling.”