A Roman Catholic Priest from the Diocese of La Crosse in Wisconsin who called the Democratic Party a "godless platform" and liberal priests "hypocrites" was asked to step down by his bishop following futile attempts for his "fraternal correction."
The Diocese of La Crosse, which encompasses 19 West Central Wisconsin counties, has released a statement on the controversial Parish Priest of St. James The Lesser in Wisconsin, Rev. Fr. James Altman, who has publicly announced that he was being asked by his bishop, the Most Reverend William Patrick Callahan, to resign from his post.
"Fr. James Altman has recently made public the request from Bishop William Patrick Callahan that he resign his office of pastor of Saint James the Less Parish in the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin, as well as his intent to decline the request. As a result, the Diocese of La Crosse will respond in accordance to the canonical process as needed for the removal of a priest from his office as pastor," the Diocese of La Crosse's statement dated May 24 said.
According to the statement, there have been many concerns raised against Altman the previous year and the bishop and his canonical representatives have been working to address it "fraternally and privately" as part of a "pastoral and administrative" process with the hope of attaining a "just resolution among all parties." However, Altman has been resistant and was not only defiant to his bishop--a matter contrary to his vows of obedience during ordination as a diocesan priest--but also to the directives given by Rome for liturgical celebrations during the pandemic, especially in the manner of giving Holy Communion to the faithful.
The National Catholic Register reported that Altman was shown in a screenshot photo from a video of him celebrating Easter Mass without mask and giving Holy Communion by mouth instead of on the prescribed by hand due to the pandemic. The celebration also violated COVID-19 gathering and masking restrictions for there were around 170 parishioners present during the celebration who mostly do not have masks on.
The NCR pointed out that the Diocese of La Crosse only allowed 25% occupancy with social distancing and masking for the celebration of the Holy Mass, which is lower than the County Health Department's 75% capacity requirement.
Prior to becoming viral for defying the COVID-19 guidelines, Altman became popular online for calling Democrats "godless" and stating they will "go to hell" on top of calling Planned Parenthood a "racist organization," climate change a "hoax," slurring migrants, and speaking disrespectfully against Washington Archbishop Wilton Gregory in a video released last August 30, 2020.
"Here is a memo to clueless baptized Catholics out there: You cannot be Catholic and be a Democrat. Period," Altman said in the video that runs 10-minutes and went viral online.
Altman even went to a Catholic Citizens of Illinois event-sponsored in Chicago to repeatedly speak about his right-wing beliefs. He has also released his videos to different online platforms.
In his homily on Pentecost Sunday that was posted in their Parish YouTube Channel Caritas In Veritate entitled "I Am Not Afraid," Altman announced that the bishop has asked him to step down as pastor for being "divisive and ineffective." He announced that he will not do as the bishop requested and will instead challenge him through the help of his canon lawyers.
The Daily Wire said Altman has initiated a crowdfunding site to raise $20,000 to help him in challenging the bishop and in his legal defense aside from seeking redress from the Vatican through his canon lawyers. The crowdfunding campaign has raised $302,900 as of writing time.
