The John-Henry Westen Show - FLASHBACK： Fr. Altman received 'vile' phone calls after calling out Democrats in 2020

00:00:00.000 I know the coronavirus lockdown was terrible, but one of the greatest blessings that actually came

00:00:04.800 out of that coronavirus lockdown was the introduction to the world of my next guest.

00:00:09.940 You all know him, Father James Altman. He hit the world stage with a few of his videos of his

00:00:15.040 homilies that went viral during the lockdown, and he spoke the truth of Christ from his heart,

00:00:19.360 without fear, with the love of a shepherd for his flock. He wasn't afraid to call out unfaithful

00:00:25.140 bishops and cardinals who were distorting the faith, even willing to preach on the errors of

00:00:29.820 Pope Francis. But it seems to have been his most recent video, which went viral with nearly a

00:00:36.540 million views. It was entitled, You Cannot Be Catholic and Be a Democrat, Period. That's what

00:00:43.180 seems to have finally got his bishop to cave in and silence him, forbidding him to post his homilies

00:00:49.260 online, forbidding him from social media as well. But he's also been threatened now with canonical

00:00:56.240 penalties. You're going to want to stay tuned with this interview with Father James Altman.

00:01:19.280 Before we begin, let me just mention that LifeSite News has just launched our fall fundraiser,

00:01:24.780 and we really need you to reach deep to support this work that is trying to bring you the truth.

00:01:31.140 We have over 45 workers for Life and Family, Faith and Culture at LifeSite who work every single day

00:01:39.520 to bring you the news, to bring you the truth that sets you free, to bring you the truth that leads

00:01:46.500 you to Christ, and bring you the truth to suss out all of the nonsense we're hearing from the mainstream

00:01:52.780 fake news. So please help us continue this mission of LifeSite News, and we need your support to do it.

00:02:00.200 You are in fact the driving force that keeps LifeSite active. May God bless you.

00:02:05.100 So let's begin, as we always do, with the sign of the cross, and perhaps if you'd like, Father,

00:02:09.180 give us the sign of the cross, but also a short prayer if you wish.

00:02:11.420 All right. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

00:02:16.740 Heavenly Father, we ask you to send your Spirit down upon us.

00:02:21.360 Inspire us in our words and our actions so that we can be the brightest light of Christ to the world,

00:02:27.820 so much in need amidst all the darkness. Let us be servants to you.

00:02:32.840 May I ask this grace in the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

00:02:39.900 Amen. Thank you, Father. There's almost no introduction needed to you at LifeSite News.

00:02:45.160 So many of us know you and love you. And as I said in the opening, right from the lockdown,

00:02:53.160 the greatest gift of the lockdown was happening to find you,

00:02:57.960 just because we're out there looking for something good to listen to for our Masses and homilies.

00:03:04.260 And you came up and were an awesome blessing to my family.

00:03:08.660 And so thank you for that on behalf of all of LifeSite and our many, many viewers and listeners.

00:03:14.440 Anyway, we praise God for you.

00:03:16.460 Thanks for you to God.

00:03:18.520 You know, to share the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, I mean, that's what we live for.

00:03:22.840 I don't understand how, well, I can tell you this,

00:03:25.240 a lot of priests that I've talked to from around the country were heartbroken

00:03:30.180 when they couldn't share that Mass with all their people, all their faithful.

00:03:34.080 I mean, they're our children.

00:03:36.380 And when the churches were closed against the people, which was an abomination, 1.00

00:03:41.640 but it was also closed against the priests and the people.

00:03:46.200 I can't, I just, it wasn't, how about if I be polite?

00:03:49.840 It wasn't well thought out.

00:03:51.980 I'll be polite.

00:03:52.900 I've been accused of being less employed.

00:03:56.480 But yeah, so, you know, thanks be to God.

00:03:59.040 I mean, look at, we are now friends.

00:04:01.620 And what a blessing you've been to me.

00:04:03.380 And you've been to so many Catholics for so long.

00:04:06.280 A voice of truth and crying out in the wilderness.

00:04:08.740 That's you.

00:04:09.460 So thank you.

00:04:10.520 Praise God.

00:04:11.100 Father, I think most of the people who would have seen you, apart from us stalwarts, who

00:04:18.800 would have seen you during the lockdown, but most of the people would have come upon your

00:04:22.860 video about Democrats.

00:04:25.740 You can't vote Democrat and be Catholic, period. 0.98

00:04:28.340 It's gone completely viral.

00:04:31.220 You're perhaps even approaching or surpassed a million views.

00:04:36.380 Just absolutely crazy.

00:04:38.720 Tell us a little bit about that first and what inspired you to do that.

00:04:43.720 And we're going to get into the ramifications right after.

00:04:48.420 Yeah, those ramifications.

00:04:50.980 You know, if we don't have truth, we don't have leaders in the truth, I'm as lost as anybody.

00:05:02.080 I mean, what is the truth?

00:05:02.900 I mean, isn't that what we're all searching for?

00:05:04.360 And ultimately, then, that means Jesus, doesn't it?

00:05:06.740 Because he is the way, the truth, and the life.

00:05:09.980 And so I've been asked to produce some, or not produce, but just give little talks, like

00:05:17.120 mini homilies, really.

00:05:19.520 And so we didn't do it in the Catholic Church because I thought, well, this is something

00:05:23.280 separate and apart from the parish.

00:05:24.980 This is my own time.

00:05:26.700 So I spent some time preparing something on my own time and then went to a separate place.

00:05:32.440 It wasn't even a Catholic Church.

00:05:34.800 To film this.

00:05:37.340 And so it was filmed.

00:05:39.220 And the original, this original talk was like about 14 minutes long, I think, 14, 14 and

00:05:44.340 a half.

00:05:45.340 But what I didn't know is that it can only be like as many as nine minutes and 58 seconds.

00:05:50.280 You can only have it up under 10.

00:05:53.300 So consequently, as sometimes happens, the most vigorous portions are what you see.

00:06:00.000 But what leads up to those vigorous portions are what you don't see because it had to be

00:06:04.160 the cutting room floor.

00:06:06.020 Is that the phrase?

00:06:07.280 So I remember the day.

00:06:10.200 I think it was middle of August, right around the Feast of the Assumption.

00:06:15.020 And we did the recording in this building.

00:06:18.660 And this was actually the third of three recordings.

00:06:22.840 I know that probably sends tremors among some people out there like, what else did he have

00:06:26.120 to say?

00:06:27.260 But it was the third one.

00:06:28.920 And the first one was all about the PNC and how I set it up.

00:06:32.940 So you work your way.

00:06:34.060 If you could have watched all three, when I got to that point, nobody could argue that

00:06:39.600 what I said was true and unassailable.

00:06:42.980 And so it just, you know, with COVID, with the election coming up, I mean, if we don't

00:06:50.020 know the truth that guides our decisions now, then we're sunk.

00:06:54.240 So I think that really was what was behind it all is under the circumstance, the crazy,

00:07:00.440 dangerous, truly dangerous times that we're living in with all that.

00:07:04.920 I mean, you've seen all the riots.

00:07:06.300 And what is it?

00:07:06.700 What are we up to 110 days in Portland or something like that?

00:07:09.060 Maybe they finally quelled it.

00:07:11.280 Where's the leadership in all this?

00:07:13.720 Where's the truth in all this?

00:07:15.520 Where's the leaders speaking the truth in all this?

00:07:17.240 Because there is evil.

00:07:18.460 Obviously, we're seeing it.

00:07:19.380 And so I think that somehow just, you know, it actually was prepared.

00:07:27.400 I had no preliminary real intention to say anything that was said in that.

00:07:31.960 I did the one, then I did the other, and then I started this third one, and then it just

00:07:36.600 flowed.

00:07:37.280 And I'll tell you what, they can argue with it.

00:07:38.720 They can complain all they want.

00:07:40.100 That's a Holy Spirit talk, the truth.

00:07:43.160 And not because I've heard people say, well, you were just trying to be political.

00:07:47.120 Listen, I didn't say, vote for this person or vote for that person.

00:07:51.440 All I said was, you can't be Catholic, you can be a Democrat. 0.55

00:07:54.760 But then again, they said not too many years ago, maybe two years ago, Podesta comes on

00:07:59.200 and, no, it wasn't Podesta, it was Perez, I think is his name.

00:08:02.220 The head of the, I know if you're familiar with American politics, but the head of their

00:08:05.960 whole thing says, you can't be Democrat and be pro-life.

00:08:11.040 So I'm thinking, did I just hear rightly, did you just hand me on a silver platter?

00:08:14.560 Yes, you did.

00:08:17.260 And so I said, well, you can't be pro-life, you can't be Democrat.

00:08:21.020 You can't be Catholic and not be pro-life.

00:08:23.140 It all just, you know, it all just flows.

00:08:25.020 So, well, the people that took offense are the ones that, well, that think that it is

00:08:30.860 okay to chop up 10,000 babies on a Saturday.

00:08:35.080 You know, yeah.

00:08:36.760 So I think that's how it all began.

00:08:38.460 And somehow it just flowed out.

00:08:40.280 And it was the third, you haven't heard the first two and because, well, you just haven't.

00:08:45.420 So it's unfortunate because it would have made more sense, this third one.

00:08:49.200 Yeah.

00:08:49.680 Right.

00:08:50.080 Well, obviously it spoke to people.

00:08:51.780 When you approach a million views and you've touched the lives of so many people, it's an

00:08:57.140 incredible thing.

00:08:58.020 The response to it, other than seeing it in mass, mass numbers, has, however, also been

00:09:06.000 some hardship for you.

00:09:08.760 You've been officially silenced by your bishop in terms of being able to post your homilies

00:09:14.060 in terms of, I think it's social media blocking as well by your bishop, not so much by Twitter

00:09:18.560 and Facebook so far.

00:09:20.000 Right.

00:09:21.100 But.

00:09:21.940 Yeah, here they do that.

00:09:23.460 Yeah.

00:09:24.360 They indeed do.

00:09:25.480 I'm just not on it.

00:09:26.440 I'm on YouTube and that's it.

00:09:27.920 And that was only because we were live streaming.

00:09:29.740 Why were we live streaming in the first place?

00:09:31.360 Because they wouldn't let people into the church.

00:09:34.300 You know, I praise Bishop Callahan.

00:09:35.540 I think it's 27 times because at least he, unlike most, at least let us allow some people

00:09:42.300 into church.

00:09:42.840 And so we were having the masses with only eight other people in it.

00:09:47.260 And then people would be outside, even outside the church, listening on, because they could

00:09:52.980 get the Wi-Fi somehow.

00:09:54.080 I don't know.

00:09:54.320 I don't know how that works.

00:09:55.460 And then we'd let them come in like eight at a time, no more than eight at a time, so

00:09:59.620 they could receive the Holy Eucharist, the source and summit of all grace.

00:10:03.200 You know that?

00:10:04.240 Yeah.

00:10:04.400 I mean, how that was denied to anybody is beyond me.

00:10:07.100 They did it in so many places.

00:10:08.700 They did.

00:10:09.220 I say something about it.

00:10:10.940 Are you kidding me?

00:10:11.860 Yeah.

00:10:12.680 And we had it here and being, we longed, we so longed to be there, but we were definitely

00:10:19.840 there in spirit with you and united ourselves with it.

00:10:23.520 That was the hardest point probably of my entire life.

00:10:27.580 So yeah, it was, that was very, very difficult.

00:10:30.320 But this has got for you some censure now threatened with canonical penalties by, by the

00:10:37.280 way, this good bishop, who was one of the better bishops who allowed the Holy Sacrifice

00:10:43.620 of the Mass at least to continue in limited numbers, yes, but nonetheless, unlike most, didn't

00:10:50.080 completely shut it down.

00:10:51.980 Right.

00:10:52.440 And yet still, you're under this kind of censorship and in a way, persecution.

00:10:59.220 But on the other end of that, you had an incredible show of support.

00:11:05.020 We have a petition running for you at LifeSite News with over 70,000 signatures to this point

00:11:12.120 and an incredible show outside of your place there where people came together in the hundreds

00:11:19.920 to support you.

00:11:22.260 Tell us a little bit about your reaction in terms of seeing that and what do you think

00:11:26.900 it means?

00:11:28.680 So it comes out on Sunday, right?

00:11:31.480 Sunday, August 30th?

00:11:33.280 Yeah.

00:11:33.460 And immediately, immediately, the enemy attacks and were encouraged to attack.

00:11:40.600 And, and Father Martin tried to suggest, oh, he had nothing to do with a bologna.

00:11:45.040 He said, contact the bishop.

00:11:46.300 And then on his website, which he could have stopped, there was a woman that after every 0.98

00:11:50.300 single person that commented, she put, she put the, like the doxing, right?

00:11:54.460 And, and so my, my diocese and my own office got the most vile, despicable phone calls, letters. 0.89

00:12:04.440 I got some terrible, always, you know, by the way, they're a bunch of chickens because 0.93

00:12:09.060 they don't have the decency to put the return address on it, right?

00:12:11.540 And I know when I'm, when I'm opening the envelope, I try to open them all.

00:12:14.300 So, uh, oh, this one's going to be a doozy because they don't have the guts to put a return

00:12:18.660 address on just nasty stuff on the inside.

00:12:20.640 So that, but that's what happened down at the diocese.

00:12:22.820 All of a sudden there's this massive, I got nothing better to do.

00:12:26.600 Uh, anti-message, really foul.

00:12:32.420 I mean, so Maria, you know, her brother's a bishop, my, my, my assistant downstairs.

00:12:36.500 And, uh, holy, holy woman. 0.91

00:12:39.360 Her, he's a bishop down in Chile, uh, cause that's where she was originally born.

00:12:43.440 And holy, holy man, a holy woman.

00:12:46.500 And, uh, she, so she, thanks be to God.

00:12:49.420 Cause she's answering the phone.

00:12:50.240 She's saying, I learned new words today.

00:12:53.300 It was horrible.

00:12:54.820 Uh, anyway, uh, so, so when this, so then of course the bishop has to act because he,

00:13:00.480 all he's getting is flooded with the venom of the enemy.

00:13:05.840 Yeah.

00:13:06.580 And, and so, uh, the support then comes and then as soon as, then he sends out this letter.

00:13:12.200 He, he publishes a press release, which I did not know was coming that morning.

00:13:17.360 Uh, I got a very nice letter from a vicar for clergy who would, who would I talk to for an

00:13:22.820 hour and a half on Friday the week before and, uh, thought everything was just okay, fine.

00:13:27.880 I mean, I understand there's going to be negative, negative.

00:13:30.440 You, you, Jesus said, if they hated me, they're going to hate you too.

00:13:33.240 So bring on the hate.

00:13:34.540 I got a thick skin.

00:13:35.780 I'm okay with that.

00:13:36.820 I was a lawyer once, you know, so you're kind of used to it.

00:13:39.320 And, uh, but, but as soon as that happened, then all of a sudden comes this, the censure,

00:13:44.840 as you say, and, uh, all based on manner and tone, which really irritates me because

00:13:51.460 nobody's, what about the manner and tone of the 10,000 babies that are chopped up last

00:13:55.260 Saturday?

00:13:56.460 Uh, I, I can't even, you, you, nobody has seen me angry yet.

00:14:04.480 Uh, but push another button and I know how to defend myself.

00:14:10.460 Uh, and I know who will help me in that regard.

00:14:14.960 Uh, don't mess with the babies. 0.99

00:14:17.800 Do not mess with the babies.

00:14:20.640 And so, uh, so then, then there came this groundswell as bad as a pendulum swung this

00:14:25.340 way with evil came this groundswell of good.

00:14:28.580 Thanks to people like you, uh, who realized truth is spoken.

00:14:33.200 There is a problem.

00:14:34.140 Um, if, if, if I sounded angry, then what every bishop in this country and around the

00:14:39.360 world should, should, should get a clue that that's the voice of the people that I'm only

00:14:48.080 a reflection of their voice, the most faithful Catholics of all.

00:14:52.120 And let me tell you, they're unhappy.

00:14:54.060 So somebody, can I, can I continue?

00:14:56.620 Yes, go ahead.

00:14:57.780 Uh, so somebody asked me two nights ago, well, what, what do you think father is the

00:15:04.480 reason why anybody's listening to you?

00:15:06.080 And I don't listen to myself.

00:15:07.860 So I don't know, but I had to think about it.

00:15:10.360 And I came up with about five or six things that how I prepare a homily, how much time

00:15:13.860 I spend in, in it, how much prayer, uh, how I try to make it, the gospels present, the,

00:15:19.360 uh, all sacred scripture present in our day.

00:15:21.700 But I said, I think that's what every priest does, but there must be something else.

00:15:26.700 And I thought, well, maybe God is just, for whatever reason, had this providence, just,

00:15:31.040 this is all providential.

00:15:32.100 Because I wasn't certainly seeking notaride.

00:15:33.660 I wouldn't even know how to start.

00:15:35.720 Um, but then it dawned on me as I was going out to celebrate a home mass on Monday at a,

00:15:39.600 at a faithful parishioners, a farm and bless the farm.

00:15:44.100 In 2016, the people had had it and, and they had it with the Democrats.

00:15:50.740 They had it with the, uh, establishment Republicans.

00:15:53.680 And finally, the voice of the people said, there's somebody out there who's speaking

00:15:58.540 to us and they elected him president.

00:16:02.000 Well, uh, and, and confounded everybody, uh, every now and then just for fun, I watched

00:16:06.660 the election night returns because it's fun to see the, the enemies go nuts.

00:16:10.480 Uh, and I thought maybe that's the answer.

00:16:13.260 Maybe after 18 years of one scandal after another, after tearing, you know, these people paid for

00:16:18.460 those altars that they ripped apart.

00:16:19.800 They paid for those statues of our blessed mother that they threw in the dumpster. 0.69

00:16:23.040 They paid for that communion rail that they tore, tore down.

00:16:26.840 Uh, they paid for everything that they painted over.

00:16:29.200 And now, and then they have 18 years of scandal.

00:16:31.540 And now, and now the coup de grace, they lock them out of their churches and deny them the

00:16:37.260 sacraments.

00:16:38.040 These people are mad and they have a reason to be mad.

00:16:40.980 They're not getting mad.

00:16:42.480 Cause I'm making them mad.

00:16:43.500 Who they listen to?

00:16:44.460 Who would listen to me for two seconds?

00:16:46.560 They're mad because not because of me.

00:16:49.960 It's like, they're blaming me, the hierarchy, blaming me that the people are mad.

00:16:54.140 Oh no, no, no, no.

00:16:55.220 They're already mad.

00:16:56.520 They just finally got someone to actually say it.

00:16:59.220 Cause everybody's so chicken.

00:17:00.220 They're afraid of the persecution.

00:17:01.520 Well, I don't know. 0.98

00:17:02.660 Maybe I'm just too naive or dumb, but, uh. 0.88

00:17:05.860 Well, no, that's, I think that's part of the story here. 0.99

00:17:09.840 You're neither naive nor dumb. 0.83

00:17:11.560 In fact, a little bit about your background is, is an important thing here because you're 0.98

00:17:15.920 a late vocation.

00:17:16.640 You were over 40 years old when you joined the priesthood, when you entered the priesthood

00:17:20.060 and you were before that a lawyer already.

00:17:23.740 And so you, you've got your feet wet in terms of the world and in terms of knowing, uh, the

00:17:29.500 ways of men.

00:17:30.540 Uh, there's no, there's no only clerical studious academic bone in your body.

00:17:35.400 And you do speak to the people.

00:17:36.500 That's one of the big things with your homology.

00:17:38.920 You, you say what we wished we would hear from the pulpits and haven't literally almost

00:17:44.860 for 50 years from anywhere.

00:17:46.920 Yes.

00:17:47.480 I'm glad you said it because that's exactly right.

00:17:50.280 That's true.

00:17:51.880 Yeah.

00:17:52.700 Yeah.

00:17:53.180 So you did, however, also receive some Episcopal support.

00:17:58.500 And this was truly remarkable.

00:18:00.840 Um, Bishop Strickland's words to you on Twitter, but nonetheless to you, not only endorsing your

00:18:08.080 video, but then, and was probably most movies were the most moving things I have ever seen

00:18:15.300 in a Bishop ever.

00:18:17.200 And he said, it's to my shame that I have not done this and done this earlier.

00:18:24.280 That's incredible.

00:18:24.560 You tell me one other Bishop in this country around the world who has said what he said.

00:18:28.880 Yeah.

00:18:29.300 That was profound.

00:18:31.000 So, you know, sometimes, okay, I'm a strong man.

00:18:33.900 I, you know, I'm interiorly, I'm secure, but then you get grief and you know, it's, well,

00:18:39.520 did I say the wrong, right thing or something like that?

00:18:41.360 And then he said what he said.

00:18:42.800 And I found out somebody texted it to me.

00:18:45.300 And literally I was choked up.

00:18:47.280 I could, I could hardly speak.

00:18:48.500 I was tears.

00:18:49.000 Uh, and I, I don't, I don't choke up that easily.

00:18:52.980 Uh, I was so moved by, um, also partly because we have a shepherd who's saying, who's speaking

00:19:03.360 the truth.

00:19:03.920 Cause listen, oh, listen, he heard about that.

00:19:06.020 I'm sure just as much as I did.

00:19:07.440 He was getting hate mail too, but he spoke the truth and he, and he, what a humble, to

00:19:13.760 have a shepherd say that, that, that was, uh, all the world to me.

00:19:17.680 Uh, and I, I've let him know that by the way.

00:19:20.460 That's awesome.

00:19:21.440 That's awesome.

00:19:22.600 In, and, and, and I say this of you as well.

00:19:25.220 And in him, we see this combination of courage and humility and it's truly beautiful.

00:19:32.200 I think that's one of the things that really reaches out to people and speaks to people

00:19:35.340 because we need to hear the truth.

00:19:37.620 We need to hear it proclaimed with courage, with the same courage that our Lord himself

00:19:42.200 proclaimed it with. 0.97

00:19:42.860 He, he wasn't shy of using, uh, you brood of vipers, you hypocrites is by no means a 0.97

00:19:51.040 kind of, uh, you know, pussyfooting around a light way of saying things. 0.97

00:19:54.680 It's not, it was very forthright.

00:19:56.440 It spoke to the people as do you and as does Bishop Strickland.

00:20:00.880 An interesting thing you just mentioned is the preparation for which you do, you do your

00:20:08.260 homilies.

00:20:09.140 They're not off the cuff.

00:20:10.520 They're not rants off the cuff.

00:20:12.800 You pray for long hours and meditate about what you're going to say.

00:20:16.980 Just, if you wouldn't mind, explain that a little only because I think it's so important

00:20:21.800 in terms of letting people understand you don't come at these things lightly.

00:20:26.620 They are prepared.

00:20:27.600 They're thought about, they're prayed about, uh, and they're done with reflection on the

00:20:31.460 scripture and tradition of the church.

00:20:34.400 Well, every homily starts with this, with the sacred scriptures.

00:20:37.780 And, uh, and I could, the funny thing, I could, uh, work hours and hours.

00:20:44.360 And even after I've given that same homily, although I usually revise them, people wonder

00:20:49.700 why I'm late for mass.

00:20:50.500 It's true.

00:20:51.060 A couple minutes because I'm busy revising it in between because this didn't go, this

00:20:55.460 didn't get the idea.

00:20:56.360 This didn't seem very smooth.

00:20:57.780 The transition wasn't good.

00:20:59.060 And so by the time I've done it the fourth time, it's like, uh, firing on all cylinders.

00:21:04.060 The, um, so, uh, so it starts with the sacred scriptures and, and then, and then it just

00:21:10.180 pours out.

00:21:10.660 But even after I've done it, I'll be up at the pulpit proclaiming either the gospel or

00:21:14.720 the epistles now, because we don't have lectures, uh, because of the virus.

00:21:18.860 Uh, and, and some new thought will jump out at me.

00:21:21.900 Something I've never seen it after even having just that day spent so much time working on

00:21:26.280 it.

00:21:26.440 It's, uh, something will come out.

00:21:27.760 So the inspiration is always from the scriptures.

00:21:30.800 Well, but in like, but I always say to people, well, if I could just read you and talk about

00:21:34.480 a story from 2000 years ago or 2,500 years ago, the older people in Nineveh or something.

00:21:38.940 And yeah, we need to repent.

00:21:40.620 Well, how about if we make it present in our day, what do we need to repent of?

00:21:45.600 Well, a block up the street is the abomination known as Planned Parenthood, the most racist organization 0.98

00:21:50.660 in the, in the world, uh, founded to wipe out black babies and, uh, racist, uh, 0.98

00:21:56.440 uh, so that's bringing you, we better repent because we've let it happen. 0.96

00:21:59.900 Who among us has not either pass it there?

00:22:03.680 Oh yeah, I, I won't go there, but I make it present.

00:22:09.920 So it's meaningful.

00:22:11.780 Um, otherwise it's pointless.

00:22:13.860 I can read a storybook, any story.

00:22:16.380 I've got tons of books behind me.

00:22:17.460 Like I see you do too.

00:22:18.820 Well, we can read storybooks or we can make it present.

00:22:21.420 I mean, isn't it supposed to be alive and, and, and effective in our world today?

00:22:25.340 So that's what I strive to do is, is actually make it present with, you know, 50% of it's,

00:22:32.680 uh, Jesus's, um, teaching was about grace and mercy and forgiveness.

00:22:39.320 But 50% about of it was the other side of the justice part.

00:22:45.020 Uh, and, and, and in our day and age, you know, even Bishop Barrett, he, I have a video

00:22:52.340 of him from EWTN where he even says that after Vatican II, they forgot, they're all about

00:22:59.920 mercy, nothing about justice.

00:23:02.460 Without justice, then there must not be a sin.

00:23:05.140 Without sin, we don't need a savior.

00:23:06.960 I'm not telling you anything you don't already know.

00:23:09.180 Um, but people are just so sensitive, hypersensitive in our, in our day and age.

00:23:13.680 Here's something else that they don't get is I've already been teaching my, my people

00:23:17.240 here for three years, so I don't need to teach them the same thing I started with.

00:23:21.880 I have built them up with, with Pablum to start with, let's say, and now they're getting

00:23:26.320 the meat and potatoes.

00:23:27.320 And so, and they can, they understand the meat and potatoes, right?

00:23:30.120 But, but the people that, the people out there who, uh, have been so poorly formed, they complain

00:23:35.780 about, oh, we're poorly catechized, poorly catechized.

00:23:37.800 But then you try to give them a homily longer than five minutes like that.

00:23:40.620 Bishop down Southwest here, you're going to take away the fact is if you preach for more

00:23:44.420 than five minutes, like, cause if your eternal salvation can be had in five minutes or less

00:23:47.880 one, all during the week.

00:23:49.620 Um, so my people have already had the, they're ready for the meat and potatoes and I'm giving

00:23:54.340 it to them.

00:23:54.780 Well, then it goes out, of course, on the net to all these people who haven't had meat

00:23:58.880 potatoes and it's causing them a little indigestion, I guess would be a good analogy.

00:24:05.160 Uh, that's not fair to criticize me that I'm giving my people meat and potatoes.

00:24:10.680 They're not the ones complaining to Bishop.

00:24:12.960 Yeah.

00:24:13.580 Yeah.

00:24:13.840 It was, it was so beautiful to hear the, the lady from your parish on the, uh, video that

00:24:19.120 we had on LifeSite featuring, uh, from that demonstration that was had in support of you.

00:24:24.120 Um, it, her, her comment, this startling, you know, saying how small the parish is and

00:24:29.540 yet, uh, they're amazed by this and hundreds of people are there.

00:24:33.160 Um, it's a beautiful witness to, uh, the truth of what you say.

00:24:37.760 God will move and does move.

00:24:40.600 Uh, he, he says, you know, he'll, he'll, he'll take away, uh, the, the wolves and he'll become

00:24:46.520 their shepherd.

00:24:47.080 Uh, and in your case, it seems he's given you a huge flock because most of the shepherds

00:24:52.620 aren't feeding, uh, their flocks and, uh, we're able to get some food from you.

00:24:57.040 Father, in, uh, just to conclude, I wanted to, first of all, thank you again on behalf of

00:25:06.900 LifeSite, upon all of our readers and, and, uh, all of our fans who are just, uh, very much

00:25:12.060 in love with, with what you preach and what you teach.

00:25:14.760 I want to encourage our viewers to go online and look up, uh, Father James Altman's homilies,

00:25:21.420 which are still available, hopefully not taken down.

00:25:23.800 If they will be taken down, I'm sure somebody else is going to put them up somewhere and

00:25:27.240 you'll still be able to reach them.

00:25:28.520 We're going to pray for you, uh, that, uh, the Bishop, uh, stops this restriction on you

00:25:35.300 so that you can give once again to the many souls that are longing for your teaching.

00:25:40.280 And, uh, I wanted to ask you in conclusion, what is your agenda here?

00:25:47.460 What would you like to see?

00:25:49.560 And, uh, what do you feel is, is your call, your calling right now in this time?

00:25:57.960 Well, I've already, I've said this to Bishop before and to anybody, really, uh, there is

00:26:04.400 a legitimate constituency of faithful Catholics that want them eating potatoes, as I described

00:26:09.900 earlier, and they have been denied that throughout the world.

00:26:13.660 I've gotten, well, I mean, you're, I'm not accustomed to it.

00:26:16.500 You are, but I mean, from all over the world, uh, stories of, I was leaving the Catholic church.

00:26:21.160 I had it with the Catholic church and finally somehow through this, uh, they heard, they

00:26:25.820 heard these homilies and restored their faith.

00:26:29.960 I like to see a little bit, if I had an agenda and I didn't start with one and I don't, I don't

00:26:33.880 know that I have one, but it's that, that those people get fed, not, it doesn't have

00:26:38.080 to be by me and if it encourages other priests to step up to the plate and, and feed the people

00:26:44.440 the truth, given the meat and potatoes of the faith that they, that they should have,

00:26:48.780 that they're entitled to, nobody ever is concerned about them.

00:26:52.020 We're always worried about offending somebody else on the left that doesn't know the faith

00:26:55.720 to begin with.

00:26:56.760 How about we, we suddenly realize that we have faithful Catholics that, that are entitled

00:27:01.900 to the faith, deserve to hear the faith and, and deserve to have shepherds who will teach

00:27:06.240 them the faith.

00:27:08.560 Uh, so is that, does that sound right?

00:27:09.780 Does that sound like if I had an agenda, I guess that would be it.

00:27:11.880 I mean, to, to feed these people that I didn't know until really until this happened, I didn't

00:27:16.420 know.

00:27:16.780 I thought everybody talked like me because I don't go to other, I don't, I'm too busy

00:27:20.280 with my own parish to, I don't get to hear other people preach.

00:27:24.100 So, um, it was a shock to me that from all over the world, and I mean all over the world,

00:27:29.260 every continent, countries in every continent, that they all said the exact same thing.

00:27:33.560 We are starving.

00:27:35.380 Maybe that's where I got the analogy for the meat in the face in the first place.

00:27:38.080 They're sick because that's the word they use. 0.72

00:27:39.580 We are starving.

00:27:40.760 That means they're not being fed.

00:27:42.100 Bishops, pay attention to those people who are faithful that aren't being fed.

00:27:45.920 And it's not only us.

00:27:48.180 Those who reach out to you represent families.

00:27:51.720 And fathers and mothers are looking out for their own children who in their own parishes,

00:27:57.660 most of the time, hear nothing or worse than nothing, hear heresy.

00:28:02.100 And I don't use that word lightly, but they do.

00:28:04.520 I didn't go there, but you're right.

00:28:06.780 And so therefore, bringing them, meat and potatoes, bringing them to the truth has been

00:28:13.180 an awesome blessing.

00:28:14.740 It's so sad that for very, very many of us, we can't do that in our parishes.

00:28:21.060 Some of us, God, thanks be to God, still can.

00:28:24.780 We're blessed where I am with a faithful priest.

00:28:28.540 But it is so rare that it's no wonder.

00:28:35.040 And I please God, the bishops, the courageous bishops out there, the few who are really faithful

00:28:40.940 can see the outpouring of support and in it see exactly, as you said, the starving,

00:28:47.840 faithful Catholics who are literally begging, not only for themselves, but also for their

00:28:53.820 own children, the shepherds to release the treasure of the faith for the faithful.

00:29:00.720 We're starving and there's a treasure and it's being held up in the hands of the hierarchy

00:29:06.140 and it's being as if it were guarded.

00:29:10.000 And it's just terrible.

00:29:11.560 We're starving and we need the truth.

00:29:13.180 Thank you, Father, for giving us the truth.

00:29:16.020 You're welcome.

00:29:16.580 Thank you.

00:29:17.100 And thank you for, yeah, thank you for being a bright beacon of that truth, too.

00:29:20.880 I mean, it really is true.

00:29:23.400 Amen.

00:29:24.600 For LifeSite News, this is John Henry Weston.

00:29:26.780 And as we close, Father, give us your blessing, please, if you would.

00:29:30.560 The Lord be with you.

00:29:32.100 And with your spirit.

00:29:34.440 Through the intercession of St. Tarsisius, defender of the Holy Eucharist unto martyrdom.

00:29:38.740 Through the intercession of St. Joseph of Workman.

00:29:40.700 Father, Father of the Holy Eucharist, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother,

00:29:46.140 Our Lady, Queen of Heaven, Mother of the Eucharist, may Almighty God bless you all,

00:29:49.540 the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

00:29:52.940 Amen.

00:29:53.660 Amen.

00:29:54.640 Amen.

00:29:55.340 Thank you, Father.

00:29:56.340 Thank you so much.

00:29:58.920 Hello, this is John Henry Weston.

00:30:00.800 I'd like to invite you to subscribe to the John Henry Weston Show YouTube channel if you

00:30:05.400 haven't already done so.

00:30:06.820 There you will find all the past episodes and much more.

00:30:09.880 Thanks again for watching, and may God bless you.

The John-Henry Westen Show - September 29, 2020

FLASHBACK： Fr. Altman received 'vile' phone calls after calling out Democrats in 2020

Episode Stats

Summary

Transcript