In a rare move, Pope Francis removed American Bishop Joseph Strickland, a prominent conservative who had repeatedly criticized his papacy, from his post, the Vatican announced Saturday.
“The Holy Father has been removed from the pastoral leadership of the Diocese of Tyler (USA) Joseph E. Strickland,” the Vatican announced in a statement, a few weeks after Francis sent two American bishops to Mr. Strickland’s diocese in June. Texas.
Austin Bishop Joe Vasquez has been named apostolic administrator of the diocese, text continues without further details.
According to commentators, it is extremely rare for a bishop to be directly relieved of his duties rather than encouraged—or ordered—to resign.
According to Texas Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, this dismissal is related to an investigation ordered by the Pope into “all aspects of the leadership and governance” of the diocese led by Mr. Strickland.
The apostolic visit organized in June, according to the same source, concluded that it was “not possible” to keep the bishop in his post.
The Vatican did not provide any details about what triggered the visit or what conclusions it reached. Mr. Strickland wrote that the two bishops had been in discussions for a week about the situation in the diocese, including with him.
On Thursday, Mr. Strickland, 65, was asked to resign, which the dignitary refused – prompting the pope to intervene, Cardinal DiNardo reported.
“I hold fast to all the things that have been the subject of complaints against me,” the bishop told the conservative Canadian Catholic website LifeSiteNews, according to an article published Saturday, adding that he had not implemented Francis’ reforms because “ “I can’t let part of it starve.” my flock.”
“I would do it the same way again,” he added, according to the article.
In a blog posted on his website in September, Bishop Strickland responded to rumors that the Vatican was encouraging him to resign.
“I cannot resign as Bishop of Tyler because that would mean abandoning the flock in my care,” he wrote.
“I have also stated that I will respect the authority of Pope Francis if he removes me from my position as Bishop of Tyler,” he added.
A reactionary attitude
The Texas bishop, who was appointed by former Pope Benedict XVI in 2012. was one of Pope Francis’ most prominent critics.
The 86-year-old Argentine pope has tried to make the church more compassionate and open to different viewpoints.
However, he faced strong resistance from his critics, particularly in the United States, who accused him of causing confusion and disrespecting the core beliefs of Catholics.
In a message posted on X (formerly Twitter) earlier this year, Mr. Strickland accused the pope of “undermining the heritage of the faith.”
Many of his critics criticize that Francis is not decisive enough on the issue of abortion and has too much compassion for homosexual or divorced people.
At a Jesuit meeting in Lisbon, Francis lamented the “strongly reactionary attitude” of some Catholics in the United States.
He said looking into the past was “pointless and [qu’il fallait] understand that there is appropriate development in understanding issues of faith and morality.
The decision to fire Mr. Strickland was also announced by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in a statement as brief as that from the Vatican.
According to the conference, the Diocese of Tyler has more than 120,000 Catholics out of a total population of more than 1.4 million.
The diocese, for its part, posted a statement on its website confirming the Vatican’s announcement and adding, “Our work as the Catholic Church in Northeast Texas continues.”