Exclusive | Defrocked NYC priest and booted Texas bishop look for Hail Mary reinstatement from new pope

Two booted Catholic clerics — including a defrocked Staten Island priest who once put an aborted fetus on an altar — told The Post they are hoping for a Hail Mary reinstatement from the new pontiff.New York native and former Father Frank Pavone, an ardent right-to-lifer who posted photos of the remains of the fetus online, was stripped of his clergy status by the late Pope Francis in 2022 for alleged “blasphemous” social media posts and “persistent disobedience” involving his local bishop.Meanwhile, staunch conservative Texas ex-Bishop Joseph Strickland, a constant public critic of the more liberal Francis.was ousted from his lofty position in 2023.But now the stage is set for a potential return of either or both men to their previous posts as the conclave of cardinals begins huddling in Rome on Wednesday to pick a successor to Francis, who died last month at age 88.“Once the pope does pass away, we have a new pope,’’ said Pavone — who blamed his ouster on Francis’s “cancel culture’’ mentality.“I’m going to go to that new pope and ask him to review my case and reinstate me,’’ Pavone said.Strickland said he “would certainly hope” that the new pope will view things differently than the relatively liberal Francis — and consider his request to be reinstated.“A new pope can pretty much do what he discerns needs to be done,” Strickland noted.Strickland was removed as a bishop without explanation by Francis as head of the Tyler, Texas, diocese in November 2023.He was a persistent critic of some of Francis’s positions, including his relative leniency toward gays, and some say the flak led to Strickland’s ouster.He is still a member of the clergy.On the other hand, Pavone, a Rye native had once been praised by Francis for his anti-abortion work, was stripped of his clerical status in November 2022.Pavone still heads the Florida-based Priests for Life, the group he founded at the urging of late New York Cardinal John O’Conn...