Wisconsin bishop takes rare step of removing defiant priest
Photo: Marilyn J. Richmond via AP/File.
This June 2, 2021 photo shows St. James the Less parish in La Crosse, Wis.
Associated Press
Created: July 09, 2021 02:58 PM
A Wisconsin bishop has taken the unusual step of removing a priest from the ministry after he made a series of divisive remarks about politics and the pandemic.
The Diocese of La Crosse said in a statement Friday that Bishop William Patrick Callahan has issued a decree immediately removing the Rev. James Altman as pastor of St. James the Less, a parish in the city of La Crosse on the Wisconsin-Minnesota border, about 140 miles southeast of Minneapolis. The decree will remain in effect for an undetermined length of time, the statement said.