According to multiple news reports this week, a Catholic priest in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, has been using his pulpit to spread deadly conspiracy theories about masks and vaccines.
On Palm Sunday, Fr James Altman preached that COVID-19 health guidelines are “godless, Nazi-esque controls,” telling parishioners, “Let us be clear: God damns every single one of those godless moves.” He also said Dr Anthony Fauci’s support for masks “is damnable in the hottest fires of hell.”
Then on Easter, Altman packed in 300-500 parishioners with at least 50 maskless people jamming the first five pews – violating the Diocese of La Crosse’s own mask mandate and capacity protocols. The church bulletin falsely claimed that COVID-19 vaccines don’t work, even repeating the baseless, debunked conspiracy theory that the shots alter your genes.
Altman’s reckless actions are endangering not only his parishioners, but the lives of every essential worker they meet. His bishop, William Callahan, needs to hear that Christians across the country refuse to accept such deadly behavior in Jesus’s name.
This is not the first time Altman has made headlines for the wrong reasons. Last fall, more than 25,000 Faithful America members called on the bishop to rebuke Altman for an illegal sermon titled, “You cannot be a Catholic & a Democrat. Period.”
In that sermon, which gathered 1.2 million views on YouTube, Altman called the devout Catholic Biden “godless” and sneered that “zero faithful Catholics” voted for Barack Obama. He also called the antiracist Southern Poverty Law Center “godless, communist, anti-American” and attacked the pro-LGBTQ Vatican adviser Fr Jim Martin, SJ, as a “heretic.”
Bishop Callahan did in fact rebuke Altman, but firmer action is called for now that Altman’s sermons have turned deadly. Altman might believe that only “godless vermin” enforce COVID-19 protocols, but the fact that those protocols are also diocesan guidelines shows the bishop knows better. So does Pope Francis, who has previously denounced anti-mask protesters.
It’s time for the bishop to permanently remove Altman from any form of pastoral leadership — before the unhinged priest can endanger another life.
Tell Bishop Callahan: No more anti-vaccine sermons. No more illegal pulpit partisanship. Remove James Altman from parish ministry at once.
Thank you for everything you do to love your neighbour and care for the sick during this pandemic.
https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/42093