Priest fights his expulsion for not receiving the COVID vaccine and refusing to wear a mask
A pro-LGBT bishop in Vermont is seeking to suspend Father Peter Williams for refusing to take a tainted abortion injection or obey a strict mask mandate. No bishop should be able to expel a priest for medical reasons.SPRINGFIELD, Vermont – A Vermont priest is fighting his diocese over an attempt to remove him from his parish for refusing to receive an abortion-tainted COVID-19 injection or submit to mask and test requirements.
Father Peter Williams has served as pastor of Holy Family Parish in the Diocese of Burlington, Vermont for nearly 20 years. But in a video earlier this month, he revealed that his bishop is now seeking to suspend him due to his resistance to punitive COVID restrictions on unvaccinated clergy.
In a September letter , dissenting pro-LGBT Bishop Christopher Coyne declared that priests who decline vaccination against COVID-19 must wear a mask during all celebrations of the sacraments and any interaction with people as part of their pastoral ministry. Unvaccinated clergy must also be tested for the coronavirus every two weeks, the bishop decreed, warning priests that "deciding not to get vaccinated, like all choices in life, has its consequences."
"I completely trust the honor system for this and your promise of obedience to me as your bishop in this matter," Coyne said.
Father Williams is unvaccinated and has refused to obey the mask and testing rules, stating in his January 5 video that he objected to Coyne "conducting the affairs of my health."
“Being more of the ilk of a patriot and being a man who supports freedom and personal rights, I resist any incursion into my rights as a human being, certainly as an American citizen, and that was my objection when the bishop began directing matters of my health,” said the priest.
“Because he did it as a matter of honor and obedience, I quickly told him I wouldn't do it,” he explained. “He answered me and told me that I had 14 days to comply or he would suspend me.” Coyne also asked him to resign as pastor of Holy Family Parish.
“And he cited a canon in canon law that had all the penalties, from suspension to removal from the priesthood and even excommunication,” noted Fr. Williams, who has hired a canon lawyer and is challenging the diocese to remain in his parish.
"I have no intention of resigning as pastor because that's my job, that's what I do, and according to canon law, I have rights as a pastor to keep my position until the bishop removes me, and that would be according to the whole process. canonical,” he said. “So, I have instructed my lawyer that we would continue to the end of that process.”
'A great burden to bear'
About a month ago, Fr. Williams said he also learned that his family had joined Coyne and the diocesan vicar general in filing a case that the pastor is "gravely ill" and that it has "severely affected" their lives. mental faculties.
The 61-year-old priest strongly refutes those claims. “Now, I am not aware of how my relatives made that assessment,” he said. “All they had to do was watch the videos of the mass we have going on or call me, neither of which happened. Needless to say, the case now seems to be revolving around my health”, which he described as “very good”.
"I would say since COVID came on the scene, I haven't gotten sick, I haven't gotten a cold, I haven't gotten the flu, and I have chosen to follow the path of strengthening my immune system and being in the best physical health I can possibly be."
Father Williams said he initially tried to avoid mentioning the legal battle with the diocese to his parishioners.
“One of the things that I realized over time is that it is a great burden when you always know that the bishop and the forces of the diocese are trying to remove you as a pastor while you are carrying out your pastoral duties. he said, though. "And then about a month ago when I realized my family was getting involved, it broke my heart."
At the suggestion of his lawyer, the pastor is now asking members of his parish to send letters testifying on his behalf and about his mental health.
"If you are inspired or interested in writing a letter on my behalf stating how you think I am doing as a pastor and how you would assess my mental health, these letters will be collected at St. Mary's here."
Father Williams has already received a great deal of support online. "Thank you for taking a strong stand, Father Peter Williams," one YouTube commenter wrote. “You are really defending us all by defending yourself.”
“No bishop should tell a priest how to handle his own medical needs,” wrote another. "In addition, no bishop should force his priests or parishioners to do something against their conscience, all of this is a violation of what the Catholic Catechism teaches."
Pro-LGBT prelates order failed vaccines
The Diocese of Burlington responded to Fr. Williams' video in a statement last week. “The current pastoral situation in Springfield is a sad and difficult situation that Bishop Coyne is carefully approaching for all concerned,” the statement read. "To protect the good name and reputation of all involved, please choose not to discuss the content of the video."
“The number 1 priority of the Diocese of Burlington is to offer the sacraments and the fullness of parish life to the Catholic community in a safe environment that protects the health and well-being of our priests and parishioners.”
No COVID-19 vaccine stops the spread of the virus, and recent data has shown that "fully vaccinated" people actually have higher infection rates than unvaccinated people, particularly with the omicron variant. Studies have similarly discredited the effectiveness of mask mandates in reducing viral transmission.
Vaccinated people have also come to dominate COVID deaths and hospitalizations in several countries, including the UK and Denmark, while injections have been linked to an unprecedented rise in reports of vaccine injuries.
And all available COVID vaccines have been tested or produced with cells from aborted babies, sparking outrage from many Catholics whose convictions forbid them any complicity in abortion.
Several Church leaders have stressed that injections must remain voluntary and have acknowledged that Catholics can refuse vaccination in good conscience. As the Colorado bishops noted in an August 2021 letter, “there is no Church law or rule that requires a Catholic to receive a vaccine, including COVID-19 vaccines.”
Despite conscientious objections from priests, the dangers of vaccinations and the failure of injections to contain the virus, a handful of dissident pro-LGBT prelates have joined Bishop Coyne in demanding vaccinations or the use of masks. for clergy, including Lexington Bishop John Stowe and Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich.
Bishop Coyne, appointed by Pope Francis in 2015, has a history of dissent about central Catholic teaching on human sexuality and the family.
In an interview days after his installation, Coyne described the gender confusion of so-called "transgender" people as "biological" and "that's the way they are." "So there's no blame, really," he said. Coyne further suggested that a homosexual cannot be "a bad person or a bad Catholic" by being in a same-sex "marriage."
Later, the bishop agreed to speak at a pro-LGBT conference organized by heretic and dissident Fr. James Martin SJ, and last year signed a letter urging the USCCB to stop discussions about denying Holy Communion to pro-abortion lawmakers.
The Church has always condemned homosexuality as inherently evil and disordered, and similarly rejects transsexualism. The Vatican has denounced that LGBT "gender identities" are based on "nothing more than a confused concept of freedom in the realm of feelings and desires."