The Rev. Robert Altier had delivered a 20-minute sermon Sept. 6, claiming COVID-19 was concocted in laboratories in the United States and China and that it was a “lie” that tens of thousands of people are dying from it. A YouTube version of the sermon has been viewed more than 412,000 times.

At the time, the archdiocese said Altier’s sermon was “under review.” Earlier this week, Archbishop Bernard Hebda announced that he had spoken with Altier and told him such issues were not appropriate for a sermon.

“The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is blessed with many fine priests,” wrote Hebda in a letter posted on the archdiocese website. “None of our priests or bishops, however, is an expert in public health, infectious disease, epidemiology or immunology. It would be a mistake to attribute any expertise in these areas to us simply on the basis of our ordination.”

Hebda said he had asked the Minnesota Department of Health to respond to Altier’s many assertions about the pandemic. The department found no credence to Altier’s litany of claims, many reflecting pandemic conspiracy theories. The local chapter of the Catholic Medical Association also “essentially shared the department’s critique,” Hebda said.