Bishops Brouhaha

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Fr. Altman, as you may know, spoke the obvious:
  • Catholics should neither vote for nor belong to a political party that actively promotes the culture of death.
As a result of calling a fig a fig and a trough a trough, Fr. Altman is being chastised by his bishop; but, he has the support of another.

CNA

After a Wisconsin priest said in a viral video that no Catholic can be a Democrat, the priest’s bishop will attempt fraternal correction, and said Wednesday the priest has inflicted a “wound” upon the Church. A Texas bishop, however, has doubled down on his support for the priest.


This oughta be good.

A priest speaks to the eternal consequences for promoting a culture of death. One bishop is miffed. Another approves.

CONTRA Fr. ALTMAN'S ACTIONS

Bishop William Callahan of La Crosse

That being said it is not only the underlying truth that needs to be evaluated but also the manner of delivery and the tone of his message. Unfortunately, the tone Fr. Altman offers comes off as angry and judgmental, lacking any charity and in a way that causes scandal both in the Church and in society. His generalization and condemnation of entire groups of people is completely inappropriate and not in keeping with our values or the life of virtue.

PRO Fr. ALTMAN'S ACTIONS

Bishop J. Strickland @Bishopoftyler

As the Bishop of Tyler I endorse Fr Altman’s statement in this video. My shame is that it has taken me so long. Thank you Fr Altman for your COURAGE. If you love Jesus & His Church & this nation... please HEED THIS MESSAGE.

Bishop Strickland added:

If my support of Father Altman can prompt meaningful conversations and prayerful discernment about these questions, then I am at least beginning to fulfill my role as a pastor of souls and a disciple of Jesus Christ,” Strickland added.

Let's summarize:
  • Bishop Callahan to Father Altman - "You're not nice!"
  • Bishop Strickland to Father Altman - "Tell it like it is!"
Haven't we had enough of Catholics touting "nice" as a virtue, of substituting 'nice' for the responsibility to challenge people with the (loving) truth? One wonders what some folk would have said and done were they present when Jesus cleared the Temple of money changers (John 2:13-16). "Hey Jesus,... be nice! That's no way to treat those guys trying to make a living." Lord, save us from mediocrity! Save us from ourselves!

Bishop Callahan chastises Fr. Altman for his approach. Anyone listening to the video might think Fr. Altman was actually quite restrained.
  • Is Bishop Callahan sidestepping the issue?
  • Does he want to retain his conviction in the Gospel and not offend anyone? Is that realistic?
People who are confident they are better than others react allergically to being called out for saying and doing bad things. Might it be said that if homilies seared the ears of listeners a little more often, perhaps more souls would be protected from hellfire? Fire and brimstone may be a little passé to some people's way of thinking. However, since the minions of the culture of death erect concrete walls around their heads and hearts, a little cannon fire may be a necessary approach when speaking to Deaf-o-crats.

Back in 2008, His Eminence Leo Cardinal Burke fired a terse volley at the Demned.

(T)he Democratic Party risks transforming itself definitively into a "party of death" due to its choices on bioethical issues, as Ramesh Ponnuru wrote in his book The Party of Death: The Democrats, the Media, the Courts and the Disregard for Human Life. - Archbishop Burke Laments Party of Death. Reflects on New Role in Vatican and Election-Year Politics, Rome, Oct. 2, 2008 (ZENIT)


Is the Democratic Party the “Party of Death”? If you look at their agenda they are. IT’S NOT JUST abortion-on-demand. It’s euthanasia, embryo destruction, even infanticide—and a potentially deadly concern with “the quality of life” of disabled people. If you think these issues don’t concern you—guess again. The Party of Death is roaring into the White House! In The Party of Death, Ponnuru details how left-wing radicals, using abortion as their lever, took over the Democratic Party—and how they have used their power to corrupt our law and politics, abolish our fundamental right to life, and push the envelope in ever more dangerous directions. In The Party of Death, Ponnuru reveals: How Hillary Clinton could use the abortion issue (but not in the way you think). Why the conventional wisdom about Roe v.Wade is a lie. How the party of death—a coalition of special interests ranging from Planned Parenthood to Hollywood—came to own the Democratic Party. How the mainstream media promotes the party of death. Why Jesse Jackson, Al Gore, and other leading liberals gave up being pro-life. How liberals use animal rights to displace human rights. The Democratic presidential candidate who said that infanticide is a mother’s “choice”. How doctors—and other health care professionals—are being coerced, by law, into violating their consciences. The ultrasound revolution: why there’s hope to stop the party of death Ponnuru’s shocking exposé shows just how extreme the Party of Death has become as they seek to destroy every inconvenient life, demand fealty to their radical agenda, and punish anyone who defies them. But he also shows how the tide is turning, how the Party of Death can be defeated, and why its last victim might be the Democratic Party itself.


Ponnuru is a convert to Catholicism. https://twitter.com/RameshPonnuru

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