Minnesota Priest Used Homily To Spread COVID-19 Conspiracy Theory

TWIN CITIES, MN — A Catholic priest in Minnesota used his homily during Mass to spread a conspiracy theory about the coronavirus pandemic.

At the Church of St. Raphael in Crystal on Sept. 6, Rev. Robert Altier told parishioners that COVID-19 was created by scientists in laboratories in the North Carolina and China, and that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health officials have been spreading lies about it.

Altier also said only 9,200 people have died from the virus.

A video of the homily, called "The Coronavirus: the Truth Revealed," was quickly shared and spread online.

Altier has since been told by Archbishop Bernard Hebda of Saint Paul and Minneapolis not to use his homily to speculate on medical or scientific information.

In a letter to the archdiocese, Hebda said Altier "remains firm in his opinions on the pandemic situation, but he has acknowledged that his remarks were inappropriate in the context of a homily during Mass."

Altier's homily could be seen as an "abuse" of his authority, according to the archbishop. "In the context of the liturgy, no member of the assembly, even if the world’s greatest expert in this area, would have been in a position to contradict Fr. Altier or to offer alternative points of reference," Hebda added.

The Catholic Medical Association and the Minnesota Department of Health agree that Altier used false information in his homily. However, the MDH's response at one point misstated the Catholic Church's view on vaccines.

Find a link to the health department's critiques on the homily — and a clarifying note from Hebda on vaccines — here.

Read the archbishop's full letter here.