Posted on 03/03/2006 8:40:09 AM PST by NYer
We note that the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, for all practical purposes, has silenced a priest named Father Robert Altier. It is an interesting action, at several levels. We find it noteworthy at the same time that, as always, we urge obedience.
Father Altier is a rare one indeed, at 45 a relatively young priest who unabashedly speaks strong stuff -- including prophetic stuff, and including exposes of alleged wrongdoing -- from the pulpit. As it was, he had been relegated, at the Church of St. Agnes, in the city of St. Paul, to the 6:30 a.m. Mass (although the church's website disseminated his homilies).
On weekdays, it has been the six a.m. shift -- a Mass that regularly attracts between 75 and a hundred despite the early hour. Some of his homilies, including a recent one, have been surprisingly open in their criticism of bishops.
He may be a bit strong, and naturally we're not sure of all his views (we all have different ideas), but so popular and unusual have been his homilies that for a while now they have been disseminated over the internet via a website called "A Voice in the Desert." That website has now announced the bishop's closure.
"In obedient compliance with the expressed written request of Most Reverend Harry J. Flynn, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA [left], Father Altier’s homilies and spiritual presentations can no longer be published on www.desertvoice.org or broadcast on Relevant Radio," says the website. "Please be assured that this action of the archbishop is not related to any scandal or sexual misconduct on the part of Father Robert Altier. We regret any inconvenience and humbly ask for your prayers."
Father Altier has expressed a number of views that some in mainstream Catholicism consider strong and controversial. We have contacted the diocese for comment.
"They say you can't preach like that because the collection will go down," said Father Altier, who is a third-order Carmelite and who before becoming a priest, at age 28, had attained a degree in computer programming.
But his "tell-it-like-he-sees-it" approach, he says, has not hurt. "Parishioners seem to be fine with it, but I'm not sure other priests like it," he told Spirit Daily a while ago. "Priests are into materialism and worldliness. And if you want the material, you can't have the spiritual. Priests have gotten into a lot of worldliness."
As a local newspaper notes, Altier is a prominent voice in conservative Catholic circles and has spoken out against a sex-abuse prevention program being taught throughout the archdiocese, including to schoolchildren. He says the program is too explicit. Such programs were mandated in all dioceses by U.S. bishops as part of their response to the clergy abuse crisis.
It is Father Alitier's contention that there is a simple and real truth behind scandal. "I got sick and tired of all the lies. I just laid it out. There are three groups that have infiltrated the Church, the Masons, the Communists, and the homosexuals, who came in 1924," he alleges. "85 percent of all the abuse cases are homosexual. There is rank homosexuality. Homosexuals chose the best and brightest and best looking and put them into the priesthood."
As for our times, Father Altier views it as relating to the Gospel reading on cleaning the temple -- but this time with the Blessed Mother, who will "clean it like a woman, not like Jesus did (when He threw out the merchants); she is being more deliberate and every nook and cranny will be cleansed," he says insightfully. "When it is done, it will "not be pretty but it will be immaculate.
"I have been speaking about this since the early 1980s, but after 9/11, I said, 'Now the birth pangs have begun.'"
They are like labor pains that will get closer together and more intense, contends the priest, who spends hours each day in front of the Blessed Sacrament.
Why is he controversial? And why do people -- including many priests -- reject the idea of purification?
"I think because people don't want to deal with sin," he says. "The loss of the sense of sin is one of the great tragedies of our time. They don't want to deal with the idea that God would allow any kind of purification. We focus on His mercy so much that we forget His justice. The devil is resisting the idea of chastisement. If we can explain it scientifically, it denies the spirituality of an event, and what the devil desires most is to remain hidden. Certainly he is going to be involved in some of these things, whether directly or from chaos at spiritual level. He is inspiring chaos at spiritual level.
"And some of it -- wars as well as storms -- we are doing to ourselves. Nature reflects the chaos in the spiritual order. You see that right from the Garden of Eden. There was peace until they sinned, and that continues. The chaos that we see -- the storms and tsunamis -- continue to get more intense and closer together and it is because sin is getting worse. We can't keep killing babies and violating human dignity and think that nothing is going to happen to us. We're doing it to ourselves. It's a natural consequence of what we're doing."
These days, when it comes to Christianity, he says, "we only want the parts we like."
The priest has also harped on the need for deliverance.
"I did an awful lot of deliverance work, and the bishop shut it down," claimed Father Altier. "He said he didn't want any priest in his diocese doing this."
Coincidentally, this week, Alejandro Bermudez from Catholic News Agency, suddendly shut down his blog - Catholic Outsider. He said his goodbyes, departed and the blog has been completely removed.
Thanks for this article, NYer!
| Please Pray for A Voice in the Desert
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| UPDATE: Father Altier's innocence of any impropriety confirmed by Archdiocesan spokesman. |
|
Most Reverend Harry J. Flynn Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA Please be assured that this action of the archbishop is not related to any scandal or sexual misconduct on the part of Father Robert Altier. We regret any inconvenience and humbly ask for your prayers. Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Most Reverend Harry J. Flynn
|
The homilies and presentations of a St. Paul priest can no longer be published on his Web site or broadcast on a Catholic radio network by request of the archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis, according to the priest's Web site.
The Rev. Robert Altier of St. Agnes Church posted a message Thursday that said: "In obedient compliance with the expressed written request of Most Reverend Harry J. Flynn … Father Altier's homilies and spiritual presentations can no longer be published on www.desertvoice.org or broadcast on Relevant Radio.''
The archdiocese had no comment about the decision, and Altier could not be reached for comment Thursday.
Altier is a prominent voice in conservative Catholic circles and operates a Web site called A Voice in the Desert. He has spoken out against a sex-abuse prevention program being taught throughout the archdiocese, including to schoolchildren. Such programs were mandated in all dioceses by U.S. bishops as part of their response to the clergy abuse crisis.
Opponents — including the Twin Cities-based nonprofit group Catholic Parents Online, of which Altier is the spiritual adviser — say the programs are too explicit for children and usurp parents' roles in teaching their children about sexuality.
Archdiocese spokesman Dennis McGrath could not confirm the reason for Flynn's directive because the archbishop did not discuss any communication he had with Altier. McGrath said no impropriety had occurred. "Any communication between a priest and the archbishop is personal and confidential,'' McGrath said. "But obviously there is a point of disagreement there someplace in his homilies or some of the things on the radio.''
Relevant Radio is at 1330-AM in the Twin Cities.
Steve Scott may be reached at sscott@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5526.
It is Father Alitier's contention that there is a simple and real truth behind scandal. "I got sick and tired of all the lies. I just laid it out. There are three groups that have infiltrated the Church, the Masons, the Communists, and the homosexuals, who came in 1924," he alleges. "85 percent of all the abuse cases are homosexual. There is rank homosexuality. Homosexuals chose the best and brightest and best looking and put them into the priesthood."
**
I guess now we know why he has been silenced. Pray for our Church.
The "big tent" only seems to go one way. This reminds me of Cardinal Egan trying to send Fr. Pavone back to parish work.
To whom do we appeal to have ArchBishop Harry Flynn removed?
**These days, when it comes to Christianity, he says, "we only want the parts we like."**
May we always be open to the entire Catholic truth -- not just the cafeteria. Amen!
See my previous and only post, so far. I meant to get all 3 of you.
Print copy on this page since you cannot listen to the audio.
He still provides Communion to Rainbow-Sash wearers despite the stance of Cardinal Arinze.
The "big tent" ideology has no room for the truth. All errors are equal: wrong is wrong is wrong. Hence, there's plenty of room for errors in the big tent. But truth exposes and destroys errors. Truth has no tolerance for error. Likewise, error has no tolerance for truth. Hence, under the big tent truth must be suppressed and cast out. The big tent ideology is itself an error (of relativism and indifferentism). It must be destroyed.
What is happening? I sent an email to ArchBishop Flynn's office yesterday. No response (of course). AB Flynn will be 73 in a few weeks. God bless Fr. Altier. I think he would be an excellent bishop.
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Oh, no. This is all very upsetting. I just don't know what to think right now.
The Vatican fills episcopal vacancies.
To God, He is more than capable of doing it.
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