Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

On the Catholic Beat

Home
Catholic
Religion News
Back in the Headlines: Father James Altman

Back in the Headlines: Father James Altman

Last updated on: April 27, 2021 at 3:44 pm by Brian Fraga

Back in the Headlines: Father James Altman 2021-04-27T15:44:12-05:00 Brian Fraga

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Father James Altman, screenshot from “You Can’t be a Catholic and a Democrat. Period.”

Father James Altman, the controversial Wisconsin priest who made headlines last fall for appearing in a slickly-produced video warning Catholics that they risked eternal damnation for supporting Democrats, is back in the news this week, this time for spreading misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines.

The LaCross Tribune also reports that Father Altman, the pastor of St. James the Less Church in La Crosse, Wisconsin, has been presiding over largely maskless liturgies.

Via the Tribune:

A community member last week shared with the Tribune a photo from Easter Services at St. James the Less Catholic Church where Father James Altman presides, showing a crowded church, and a page from a church bulletin calling vaccines “an experimental use of a genetic altering substance that modifies your body — your temple of the Holy Spirit.”

The flyer, which was posted to the church’s website as of press time and reviewed by the Tribune, states 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,” and also says those recommending inoculation are “lying to your face.”

“God is still the best doctor and prayer is still the best medicine,” the missive closes.

A video posted to YouTube appears to show more than 150 people – most of them maskless – attending the Easter Vigil Mass at St. James the Less Church, with Father Altman presiding. In his homily, he’s also heard spreading misinformation about COVID-19, telling the congregation that Vitamin D – sunlight – is one of the great cures for the novel coronavirus, and shaming people who walk “fully masked up” in public as illustrating the “fully, Godless darkness of faithfless fear that is behind it all.”

Having gone to St. James the Less’ website last Fall after the “You Can’t be a Catholic and a Democrat” controversy, I was already familiar with the COVID-19 misinformation in the parish bulletins. In several issues, Father Altman refers to a pandemic that has killed 587,000 Americans in a little over a year as a “hoax” and a “fear-demic.” Here are some screenshots from the latest parish bulletins – sounding eerily similar to political manifestos – that spreads misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccines:

Since the “You Can’t Be a Catholic and a Democrat” video, Father Altman has become a folk hero of sorts on the Catholic Far Right, being featured in fawning interviews via fringe outlets like Lifesite and Church Militant. His homilies, including those sermons where he minimizes the horror of racial lynchings in the South, have been approvingly shared by politically-conservative Catholic apologists and media figures. He was recently photographed at dinner with two other controversial Catholic men not known for having enlightened views on race or post-Vatican II reforms:

Left to Right; Mel Gibson, Father Dave Nix, Father James Altman. Screenshot via Twitter.

Meanwhile, Faithful America – a group that The La Cross Tribune describes as a “grassroots” Christian organization – is reportedly organizing a petition calling on Bishop William Callahan of La Cross to remove Father Altman from his post. The same group garnered a petition last fall with 25,000 signatures that called on the bishop to remove Father Altman for his anti-Democrat campaign video. The bishop said he would have a private talk with Father Altman to correct him.

An Associated Press report this week said Bishop Callahan understands times are difficult during the pandemic but that it doesn’t give anyone permission to use a religious post as a “tool of condemnation.”

Previous Post

April 26, 2021

Bishop Joseph Strickland and COVID-19 vaccines

Next Post

April 28, 2021 Anonymous $4.25 Million Donation To Establish "Project for Constitutional Originalism" at Catholic University of America

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

I am twelve stones taken from a riverbed and set up as a memorial to a miraculous crossing. What am I?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Bethel Altar stones The memorial stones The Stones of remembrance