Priest asked to resign after anti-vaccine stance in Wisconsin. He blames ‘pansy babies’
A controversial Catholic priest who has spread misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic and the vaccine has been asked to step down from his Wisconsin post.
Rev. James Altman, who serves as a pastor of St. James the Less Roman Catholic Church in La Crosse, made the announcement during his sermon on Sunday. He said Bishop William Callahan considers him to be “divisive and ineffective.”
Altman said “no good Catholic” has complained about his controversial comments and blames cancel culture for the bishop’s decision.
“If the left whines, like they do, like a spoiled brat often enough, they succeed in canceling so many voices of truth,” he said. “And now that they are whining like, if I may say it, the pansy babies that they are, to cancel me.”
Parishioners could be heard saying “no” as he made his announcement.
The Diocese of La Crosse confirmed in a statement Monday that Callahan has asked Altman to resign. The diocese said it has received concerns in the past year over Altman and attempted to address the issues privately.
The situation involving Altman was never resolved despite repeated attempts, the diocese said.
Altman, who plans to fight the removal, said his lawyer has asked for justification for why the bishop wants him ousted.
“I regret to inform you, they want my head on a platter,” Altman said Sunday. “They want my head now, for speaking the truth. I apparently have created enemies in the hierarchy.”
Altman has been involved in several controversies in the last year. In April, a bulletin his church posted said the COVID-19 injection is not a vaccine, but rather an experiment “that modifies your body — your temple of the holy spirit.”
“It is diabolical for anyone to virtue-signal/shame/compel you to take such an experimental drug — making you nothing other than a GUINEA PIG,” the flier read. “How does that make you feel? How does it make you feel to see the government, the media and even some in the Catholic Church shaming you in to being a GUINEA PIG?”
He listed several reasons, which have been disproven, about why the vaccine does not work.
Altman has called COVID-19 a “hoax,” including during his Easter sermon attended by hundreds of parishioners, the La Crosse Tribune reported. The Easter event violated the county’s COVID-19 regulations, the newspaper said.
In response, Altman called COVID-19 protocols “Godless.”
“God is still the best doctor and prayer is still the best medicine,” he said, according to the newspaper.
Some of his controversies involved politics and lashing out against the Democratic party. In a video he posted Aug. 30, he said “you cannot be Catholic and be a Democrat.”
“The party platform absolutely is against everything the Catholic Church teaches, so just quit pretending that you’re Catholic and vote Democrat,” he said before the November elections. “Repent of your support of that party and its platform or face the fires of hell.”
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He has also criticized the phrases “systemic racism” and “white privilege,” which he referred to as “left-wing media buzzwords,” the Catholic News Agency reported.
Tyler, Texas, Bishop Joseph Strickland has often supported Altman. In a tweet Monday morning, Strickland said he continues to support the priest, adding that “he inspires many to keep the faith during these dark days.”
A fundraiser to support Altman and help pay for his legal fees has received more than $191,000 as of Tuesday morning.
The diocese’s Facebook page was filled with messages in support of Altman and a “Friends of Father James Altman” Facebook page has ballooned to more than 2,000 members.
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