A chairde, my friends,
Just incredible...Fr. Robert Altman's bishop in La Crosse, Wisconsin, "The Most Reverend" William Patrick Callahan, has
asked Fr. Altman to resign, because he's "divisive". For those who
don't know, Fr. Altman has become a beacon of hope in a collapsing
Church, but the local ordinary (bishop) is caving to pressure to oust
the priest.
An excerpt:
LA CROSSE, Wisconsin, May 24, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Father James Altman, the priest whose video message last fall “You can’t be a Catholic and a Democrat”
went viral and who has fearlessly criticized the U.S. bishops for
needlessly shutting churches and denying the faithful sacraments during
the COVID-19 pandemic, announced on Pentecost Sunday that his bishop has
asked him to resign for being “divisive and ineffective.”
Bishop William P. Callahan began threatening the outspoken priest with “canonical penalties” in September, even as public support for the priest surged among rank-and-file Catholics around the country and the world.
After delivering a powerful Pentecost Sunday homily, Altman
explained: “I regret to inform you, they want my head on a platter. They
want my head now for speaking the truth. I apparently have created
enemies in the hierarchy.”
“To paraphrase the great, great Cardinal Burke, ‘When I die, I
will stand in judgment before the Lord, not any Bishop of the church,
nor as the great Cardinal Burke specifically said, the USCCB,’” said the
embattled priest.
...
Bishop Strickland of Texas supports Fr. Altman:
...The Lifesite article also states:
Father Richard Heilman, without mentioning Altman’s
name, wrote on Facebook: “With tears in my eyes, I write: I have never
met a more humble, kind, holy priest in my life. Those who have met him,
know.”
“This is war, folks. The vipers in the episcopacy are
playing for keeps, while ‘conservatives’ play for what they can hold on
to ... for now,” declared Lepanto Institute President Michael Hichborn.
“Fr. Altman is showing priests EVERYWHERE what it
means to be a MAN of God! It means putting everything on the line, and
being willing to suffer whatever comes in the face of witnessing to the
Truth,” continued Hichborn.
“These godless, gutless bishops, who allow the James
Martins of the world to spread their festering cancerous rot, say
nothing about the filth infesting the Church or those pushing it ... but
they hamstring, hang, draw and quarter good Priests who dare to give
spiritual and moral truth to feed their flocks!” he said.
An P again:
Beyond outrageous. Fr. Altman is another Athanasius. For example, see this article. :
This is true, but of course it drives the bishops bonkers.
There's an older petition here supporting Fr. Altman, which I've signed and
alas, it won't let me sign again. But over 14,000 people have signed
it, and it apparently makes NO difference to the bishop. This petition
has a wonderful statement about just who is behind the attempt to oust
Fr. A, as well.
Although
I'm in Hungary right now, I'm so mad I tried calling the Le
Crosse chancery some minutes ago. I'm sure people are calling them from
all over. Some months ago, I had
written a long snail-mail letter to that execrable bishop in Columbus,
Brennan about his hideous treatment of Fr. Klee, but the man never
responded in any manner (and I had my address snail and email!). These
guys are not noted for either their courage nor their manners.
Using the +1
(608) 788-7700 number Lifesite provided below, I tried calling from Hungary just now, and
got the computer (of course). After screwing around with the directory, I finally
tried the secretary, but it said "your call cannot be completed as
dialed. Hang up and call again." It should have been a "Secretary not
available" or something. I didn't try the other numbers as I'd probably
get the same run-around. It is quite expensive calling the U.S. from
here. So anyone else gets the right extension, or an email
address, please let me know.
For those who wish to try to contact Bishop Callahan, see the following Lifesite info:
Contact information for respectful communication:
Catholic Diocese of LaCrosse
Bishop William Callahan
3710 East Avenue South
P.O. Box 4004
La Crosse, WI 54602-4004
United States
+1 (608) 788-7700
Very Rev. William Dhein, Msgr. Michael J. Gorman, and Msgr. Joseph Diermeier, Vicars General
+1 (608) 791-2655
Rev. Woodrow Pace, Vicar for Clergy
+1 (608) 791-2652
You can also write a letter of protest to the Apostolic Nuncio:
Archbishop Christophe Pierre
3339 Massachusetts Ave.
NW Washington DC, 20008