A Bishop described as a “firebrand” of Catholic orthodoxy has said that forces in the Church “don’t want the truth of the Gospel” after he was removed from his position by Pope Francis.
On 11 November, the Holy See Press Office announced that Pope Francis had removed Texas-based Bishop Joseph Strickland “from the pastoral care”. No formal explanation was given in the notice.
Bishop Strickland’s removal has been expected for some time now, after a apostolic visitation and formal investigation of governance and leadership in his diocese was conducted privately earlier this year. There is no question of sexual scandal.
The Bishop has been a vocal proponent of orthodox catholic values and is an outspoken critic of Pope Francis and his pontificate, particularly when he felt the Pontiff was employing a “dangerous” lack of clarity in his statements on sexuality.
Strickland tweeted earlier this year that he disagreed with those who challenged the authenticity of the Pope, but that he felt it was time for him to say that he rejected “[Francis’s] program of undermining the Deposit of Faith”.
Please allow me to clarify regarding, “Patrick Coffin has challenged the authenticity of the Pope Francis.” If this is accurate I disagree, I believe Pope Francis is the Pope but it is time for me to say that I reject his program of undermining the Deposit of Faith. Follow Jesus.
— Bishop J. Strickland (@BishStrickland) May 13, 2023
Catholic News Agency (CNA) said that Vatican figures believed that the tweet “crossed the line,” prompting the apostolic visitation.
Now the Bishop has spoken out on the unusual move by Pope Francis to remove him from pastoral governance – a rare step for the Church.
Strickland was described as regularly speaking out “against what he sees as attacks on the teachings of the Catholic Church to his sizable social media following”, by Catholic News Agency.
When asked by Life Site News what was behind the move by Pope Francis’, Strickland said: “The only answer I have to that is because forces in the Church right now don’t want the truth of the Gospel.”
He added: “They want it changed. They want it ignored.”
The Bishop said: “we have to acknowledge there are tremendous and powerful forces at work in the world,” he stressed. “Saint Paul reminds us that we’re not fighting against human beings, flesh and blood; we’re fighting the powers and principalities of evil.”
“And evil doesn’t want the truth of Jesus Christ.”
The move against Bishop Strickland has been criticised as a “blatant injustice” by one of his fellow Bishops – Bishop Athanasius Schneider, auxiliary of Astana, Kazakhstan,
“We are witnessing a blatant injustice towards a bishop who did his duty in preaching and defending with parrhesia the immutable Catholic faith and morals and in promoting the sacredness of the liturgy, especially in the immemorial traditional rite of the Mass,” Bishop Schneider said in a statement.
“All understand, and even the declared enemies of this Confessor Bishop, that the accusations brought against him are ultimately insubstantial and disproportionate and were used as a welcome opportunity to silence an uncomfortable prophetic voice within the Church,” he added.
He said that “at the same time several bishops, who publicly support heresy, liturgical abuses, gender ideology and openly invite their priests to “bless” same-sex couples, are not in the least importuned or sanctioned by the Holy See.”
Dr. Taylor Marshall, a Catholic commentator from Texas, said that Bishop Strickland’s lack of restriction of the Latin Mass liturgy was one of the many reasons he was removed from his post.
The Apostolic Nuncio from the Vatican stated that one reason Francis fired Bishop Strickland is that the bishop refused to implement Traditiones Custodes on the restriction of the Latin Mass.
This reveals the Bergoglian war against the Latin Mass. pic.twitter.com/Od5KKtbZkd
— Dr Taylor Marshall™️ (@TaylorRMarshall) November 12, 2023
Marshall was critical of the two bishops selected for the investigation, claiming they had questionable actions in respect of scandals in their respective dioceses. Marshall added Strickland is “a good man” and “is one of the very few bishops currently in the United States who has learned to celebrate the traditional latin mass and I salute him for that.”
Comparisons were made between Bishop Strickland’s removal and Slovenian priest Father Marko Ivan Rupnik, who stands accused by over 25 women, including a religious sister, of sexual abuse.
Also, in Texas, Bishop Michael Olson of Fort Worth is facing a criminal investigation for seizing the belongings of Carmelite Nuns and banning the practice of their religious life.
Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, and former Papal Nuncio to the United States and also a public critic of the Pope’s remarks in recent years, commented that the removal was “a cowardly form of authoritarianism, which he said in no way fits with Bergoglio’s [Pope Francis’] talk of “welcoming” and “inclusiveness.”
He said the Pope’s actions showed “arrogance” and amounted to “tyranny” – “A tyranny that is even more scandalous to the faithful due to the fact that the majority of the Pastors are silent out of cowardice or complicity.”
1) Heretical bishops in Germany are protected by Pope Francis.
2) The perverted artist Jesuit Fr. Rupnik is still in good standing.
3) Meanwhile, Pope Francis fires Bishop Strickland and casts him out.
Do you get it now?
— Dr Taylor Marshall™️ (@TaylorRMarshall) November 11, 2023
However, supporting Strickland’s removal, prominent Catholic YouTuber Michael Lofton stated that a letter signed by Strickland and other clerics and layperson had accused Francis and the Magisterium of teaching heresy.
The letter, written on 16 September 2022, was an open letter regarding statements made by Pope Francis of the reception of Communion. The document states its purpose is to correct the Pope’s position on reception of Holy Communion. “The claim,” the letter states, “that faith is the only requirement for worthy reception of the Holy Eucharist was condemned by the Council of Trent as a heresy.”
Strickland has been critical of former Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi for receiving Holy Communion while actively and publicly supporting abortion. He also led a prayer rally at the stadium of the Los Angeles Dodgers, where an anti-catholic drag-act LGBT group, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence performed their shows which many catholic deem blasphemous and offensive.
“Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas, led Catholics, Protestants, and Jews in a prayer rally at Dodger Stadium as the baseball franchise celebrates the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a pro-LGBT anti-Catholic hate group.”
— Leo Kiely (@kiely_leo) June 17, 2023
Bishop Strickland had also previously called President Biden “evil” and had spoken at a rally of supporters of President Trump.
The Diocese of Tyler confirmed in June that an investigation was underway and that it was being conducted by the Holy See. It reported that the process was confidential and a review of aspects of governance and diocesesan finances would be reviewed.
Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, has commented that the Vatican sought Strickland’s resignation on 9 November which he refused.
The apostolic investigation reviewed governance of a high school in the diocese, staff turnover, the bishop’s welcome of a controversial former religious sister as a high school employee, and the bishop’s support for a planned Catholic residential community, for which there were financial and administrative concerns.
The Diocese of Tyler comprises 23,443 square miles in the State of Texas and has a total population of 1,436,247, of which 119,168, are Catholic. Strickland was ordained a priest in 1985 and joined the Diocese of Tyler in 1987, shortly after the diocese’s creation. He was the fourth bishop of Tyler.
Pope Benedict XVI named him Bishop of Tyler in 2012. He served as vicar general of the Tyler diocese from 2010 until 2012. Situated in Northeast Texas, The diocese comprises 33 counties. It has 52 parishes and 14 missions. It had 79 priests in 2020.
Bishop Joe Vásquez of Austin is the interim administrator of the Diocese of Tyler.