It is a grave scandal and a grave injustice and an excessive abuse of the Code of Canon Law for Fr. James Altman to get censored and suppressed (removed from public ministry) while heretical and immoral members of the clergy including Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Cardinal Joseph Tobin, Bishop John Stowe, Bishop Robert McElroy, Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck, Fr. James Martin, Fr. Edward L. Pieroni, Fr. Richard McKay, Fr. Paddy Byrne, Fr. Anton Fernandopulle, and Fr. Richard Sloan, (ad nauseam) freely spread heresy, schism and immorality without even a threat of disciplinary action!
I now know what precisely Saint Athanasius experienced during the Arian heresy when a majority of the bishops were pro-Arian and severely persecuted Saint Athanasius who, like Fr. Altman, openly spoke out against evil without backing by the bishops.
Sometimes in Church history God raises just one holy person to counter evil including evil among His chosen people (recall some of the Old Testament prophets like Jeremiah). As Christopher Check says in his article “Athanasius Contra Mundum: The Courage to Act Alone” (Crisis Magazine, April 30, 2012),
“At the moment when ‘the whole world groaned and was amazed to find itself Arian,’ as Saint Jerome put it, God raised up one man to grasp and hold high the banner of orthodoxy.”
Arianism was eventually condemned by the Church at the Council of Nicea and Saint Athanasius was later canonized and declared a doctor of the Church.
I am not saying Fr. Altman is another Saint Athanasius (there are many other holy priests who are openly fighting the manifest evil doers in the Church) but he courageously and with solid fidelity to Catholic dogma and doctrine openly speaks out against the evils of our time that persists inside and outside the Church but unfortunately for Fr. Altman he is up against a well-organized, ultra-powerful and media protected hierarchy that is known as the “lavender mafia” or otherwise known as the “St. Gallen Mafia”.
Pray for another round of purification of the Church and for good and holy priests like Fr. Altman to be protected and defended from all harm and from all evil!
Someone needs to organize a prayer rally in front of the chancery! 🙏
UPDATE: This has absolutely nothing to do with Fr. Altman’s promise to obey his Bishop!!! People who keep emphasizing that point are either misinformed or ignorant of the issues and the dirty politics behind Fr. Altman’s unjust treatment.
He is not the only orthodox or traditional Priest who has received unjust treatment from superiors. They suffer while corrupt Priests who promote and defend evil get away with their demonic behavior because they are covered-up by the media and coddled by wayward bishops.
It has never been the teaching of the Church that all Bishops are impeccable. Only the Church, the Mystical Bride of Christ, is impeccable. We’ve had eras of bad bishops and heresy and schism caused by them and, unfortunately, we are living through another era of multiple wayward bishops.
Many people like to believe that it can never be possible for the Church to have a wayward Bishop and they will do all they can to defend a wayward Bishop (or at least his authority even when he abuses it) but this only causes more injustices and hurts many souls and drives them away!
Be like St. Paul and St. Athanasius by standing up and shouting out when evil infiltrates the Church and the hierarchy. Failing to emulate these Saints during times of demonic infiltration is stupid and cowardly! It leads to eternal perdition!
Related verses from the Holy Bible:
“Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, untruly, for My sake: Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in Heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets that were before you.”
—Matthew 5:11-12
“… But before all these things, they will lay their hands upon you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and into prisons, dragging you before kings and governors, for My name's sake.”
—Luke 21:12
“Now as Jannes and Mambres resisted Moses, so these also resist the truth, men corrupted in mind, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no farther; for their folly shall be manifest to all men, as theirs also was. But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, patience, persecutions, afflictions: such as came upon me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra: what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord delivered me. And all that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall grow worse and worse: erring, and driving into error. But continue thou in those things which thou hast learned, and which have been committed to thee: knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And because from thy infancy thou hast known the holy scriptures, which can instruct thee to salvation, by the faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture, inspired of God, is profitable to teach, to reprove, to correct, to instruct in justice, ... That the man of God may be perfect, furnished to every good work.
—2 Timothy 3:8-17
“Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is a shame even to speak of the things that they do in secret; but when anything is exposed by the light it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it is said,
‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead,
and Christ shall give you light.’
“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
—Ephesians 5:11-17
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“Ecce crucem Domino: fugite partes adversae” — Latin for “Behold the Cross of the Lord: take flight, you hostile powers.”
