The End of the Line for a Troubled Bishop

News comes today that the pope has finally accepted the resignation of Bishop Donald Pelotte of Gallup, N.M. These things are pretty routine, but Pelotte’s case has verged on the edge of the bizarre for a long time. It started last July when Pelotte supposedly fell down some stairs at his house. Pelotte said he […]

News comes today that the pope has finally accepted the resignation of Bishop Donald Pelotte of Gallup, N.M. These things are pretty routine, but Pelotte’s case has verged on the edge of the bizarre for a long time.

It started last July when Pelotte supposedly fell down some stairs at his house. Pelotte said he hadn’t been feeling well and had been rushing to an appointment.

Then Pelotte basically disappeared in a maze of hospitals and rehab centers, and the church wouldn’t disclose anything about his condition, injuries or whereabouts. Local media sued to gain access to photos taken of Pelotte’s injuries at the hospital. That’s when things got weird. From KOAT in Albuquerque:


An incident report from the McKinley Metropolitan Dispatch Authority reported that Pelotte told operators “…gentle little people, about 3 to 4 feet tall, and wearing Halloween masks” were in the hall. The dispatch log reported that Pelotte said he hid in a closet while the people were in his home.

The report said Pelotte offered conflicting information about the people who he said were in his home.

At one point, he said one person came to visit and the others also came inside. He also described them as strangers and said they had been there three hours and didn’t want to leave.

Police report they never found anyone inside Pelotte’s home.

All of which raised the question: who were the “gentle little people” (if they existed at all)? And did Pelotte really fall down the stairs, or were his injuries inflicted by someone else?

In September, reporters from the Gallup Independent (who have been dogging this story) found Pelotte at a beach house in Florida. He didn’t really want to talk. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops say his retirement was accepted 12 years ahead of schedule (he’s only 63, and bishops normally serve until at least 75) under a code of canon law that allows early retirements “due to ill health or another serious reason. Bishop Pelotte has been on a medical leave of absence from his position as bishop of the diocese since January.”

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