Fr. James Altman is continuing his no-holds barred crusade against Catholic bishops in the United States, who he says are acting like “little tyrants.”
In his latest interview with Alpha News, Altman touched on everything from the need to defund “miscreants in the upper echelons” of the church to the cowardly behavior of Catholic clergy during COVID-19.
He also provided an update on his status at St. James the Less parish and on his upcoming book from TAN books.
“I don’t have anything against anybody,” Altman said. “I just want [bishops] to do your job, which means … don’t pick on priests.”
“[The bishops] covered up child molesters, and let them keep doing it,” he continued. “And yet, they’re coming after somebody who just wants to celebrate the mass with some incense and candles on the altar.”
Altman also made specific mention of Chicago’s Cardinal Blasé Cupich and Rockford, Illinois Bishop David Malloy as deserving special criticism for the way they’ve come down on faithful priests.
“How dare [Bishop Malloy] not permit [Father John Lovell] do his job, to bring grace to the people.”
“Malloy better be shaking in his boots … we are done with the little tyrants,” he continued.
Lovell is a priest from the Diocese of Rockford. He’s been without a parish for nearly 10 years, thanks to a decree issued by Malloy in 2012. He recently co-founded the Coalition of Canceled Priests, a lay-led organization that provides material and moral support for clergy under assault for preaching and living the doctrines of the faith.
Malloy has also been in the news lately for having removed Fr. James Parker from Holy Cross Church in Batavia. Parker says he drew the bishop’s ire after instituting traditional liturgical practices and for inviting Bishop Athanasius Schneider to his parish in 2019.
Parker received a $20,000 donation from the Coalition earlier this month to cover legal fees as he prepares to fight Malloy’s decision.
Altman additionally explained to Alpha News that it’s important for laity to “earmark” their donations to their churches and to give “not one more penny” to the bishops when they seek donations.
“People don’t want to give to the bishops anymore because they’ve abandoned them,” he said. “If you give money to a particular parish, earmark it … support the parish with specific designated funds.”
Regarding his own ministry, Altman said that he hasn’t received an update from his bishop, William Callahan.
“I don’t believe that … he’s going to say, ‘I want you out’ … it’d be a huge public relations disaster.”
“I’m shocked that I haven’t had any news yet,” he said. “[Bishop] Callahan has a heart that loves his priests and his people. I think he’s just a bit misguided.”
Altman encouraged Catholics to remain steadfast in their love for Christ, and to know that even though it seems like he’s “sleeping in the back of the boat,” ignoring the crisis in the Church, he’s actually “well aware” of what’s going on and will fix everything when he sees fit.
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Stephen Kokx
Stephen Kokx, M.A., is a journalist for LifeSiteNews. He previously worked for the Archdiocese of Chicago under the late Francis Cardinal George. A former community college instructor, Stephen has written and spoken extensively about Catholic social teaching and politics. His essays have appeared in such outlets as Catholic Family News and CatholicVote.org.
