Bishop transferred to Houston hospital

By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Staff Writer

GALLUP — A recovering Bishop Donald E. Pelotte has been transferred to a new hospital in Texas while more controversy continues to swirl around the Diocese of Gallup.

According to a statement posted on the diocese’s Web site, Pelotte was transferred on Wednesday from John C. Lincoln Hospital in Phoenix to Memorial Hermann/TIRR in Houston where he will “receive ongoing treatment for traumatic head injuries.”

A severely injured Pelotte was discovered in his Gallup home on July 23 by Deacon Timoteo Lujan, the chancellor for the diocese. Although Pelotte has insisted his injuries were the result of a fall, a Gallup Police report and statements made by Lujan to The Independent have indicated the emergency room physician at Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital and the responding police officer suspected the bishop may have been the victim of a physical assault.

“The decision to transfer Bishop Pelotte to Houston was based on several factors, including the fact that Father Dana Pelotte, SSS, his twin brother and next of kin, is pastor of a Houston parish,” diocese officials stated. “In addition, the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, of which both Bishop Pelotte and his brother are members, maintains a community house in Houston and can provide the ongoing spiritual support which is a hallmark of religious communities in the Catholic Church. The final reason is that Memorial Hermann/TIRR will provide Bishop Pelotte with excellent care and rehabilitation services.”

According to the hospital’s Web site, Memorial Hermann/TIRR, formerly The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research, is a “not-for-profit rehabilitation provider serving the needs of individuals who have sustained catastrophic injury or illness.” For 17 consecutive years, the Web site states, the hospital has been named one of America’s best rehabilitation hospitals by a U.S. News & World Report survey.

“Over the next few days it is expected that the medical staff at Memorial Hermann/TIRR will conduct an evaluation of Bishop Pelotte’s condition and then determine what course of treatment is needed,” diocese officials concluded. “It has been the consistent advice of attending physicians that Bishop Pelotte will require a long recuperative period.”