Pope forcibly removes leading US conservative, Texas bishop Strickland

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Pope forcibly removes leading US conservative, Texas bishop Strickland

BY NICOLE WINFIELD
Updated 7:16 AM EST, November 11, 2023

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis on Saturday forcibly removed from office the bishop of Tyler, Texas, a conservative active on social media who has been a fierce critic of the pontiff and some of his priorities.

A one-line statement from the Vatican said Francis had “relieved” Bishop Joseph Strickland of the pastoral governance of Tyler and appointed the bishop of Austin as the temporary administrator.

Strickland, 65, has emerged as a critic of Francis, accusing him in a tweet earlier this year of “undermining the deposit of faith.” He has been particularly critical of Francis’ recent meeting on the future of the Catholic Church during which hot-button issues were discussed, including ways to better welcome LGBTQ+ Catholics.

The Vatican earlier this year sent in investigators to look into his governance of the diocese, amid reports he was making doctrinally unorthodox claims.

-snip-

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/pope-tyler-bishop-strickland-removed-0f9f0be7d5938b36d6e7ead8c33e5150

[GreenWave]

1. Sic the Inquisition on him!

[rsdsharp]

18. Noooooo one expects the inquisition!

[Joinfortmill]

2. Good

[303squadron]

3. So in essence, Frances said to Strickland

Last edited Sat Nov 11, 2023, 10:23 AM - Edit history (1)

"I do not like the way you are questioning my authority to interpret the words of our imaginary friend."

[Paladin]

4. Mess with the bull, expect the horns.

Well done, Pope Francis.

[gibraltar72]

5. I think any group based on magical thinking

is bogus. That being said some people are always gonna believe in something that keeps them from doing their own thinking. I do believe this Pope has done a pretty good job dragging the Catholic church to a place of acceptance.

[Montauk6]

6. In this guy's case, bishopric is missing a letter

[Fla Dem]

7. This ex-bishop will now probably start soliciting funds to create his own conservative "religious" organization.

[Farmer-Rick]

8. So obviously he doesn't believe in an authoritarian

Religion. Weird, considering the Catholic Church is a very authoritarian organization.

I guess obeying your leaders is good for thee, but not for me.

[twodogsbarking]

9. Cathopoly. Go directly to hell, do not pass go.

[radical noodle]

10. Pope Francis did the right thing

Whether you like religion or not, Bishop Strickland is a firebrand for the extreme right and their hatred of anyone not like them. As the Pope, Francis is meant to lead the church in the direction it should go. He's trying to lead them into acceptance of people who had been marginalized by the church previously. Bishop Strickland was actively working against him and since the church is an organization with the belief that the pope takes the lead in all things, he was actually stirring up anti-Catholic feeling.

Pope Francis rightly believes that being Christian means following Christ and Christ accepted all people who wanted to follow him. It's a lesson that many Protestant churches need to learn as well.

[patphil]

12. I agree. Well said.

When you work for a company, and you bad mouth and undercut the boss, you get fired.

[EmmaLee E]

17. the Pope and thus the church treats women as second-class citizens.

[radical noodle]

19. That may be true

but it really has nothing to do with this. And if you think the Bishop in question is better for women than the pope, I think you're mistaken.

The treatment of women by religions worldwide is appalling and it isn't just the pope or the Catholic church.

Welcome to DU!

[tornado34jh]

11. I will bet he will be screaming persecution

I am not religious, but that being said, the Pope sure seems more accepting than previous ones, especially in a typically quite conservative denomination. But then again, there are always those who will try to prevent acceptance, especially in certain countries (I'm looking at you Poland and Hungary).

[malthaussen]

13. "Forcibly," forsooth?

What, he sent in the Swiss Guards and marched him out at pike-point?

-- Mal

[MyMission]

16. Forcibly does imply "by force"

I got a similar image in my head. Not necessarily the Swiss guards, but some armed guards forcibly marching him out of the diocese.

Who knows? The guards might have taken his keys, stood by while he packed any personal belongings, and escorted him out of the building. Wonder what happened after that?

I think the Pope made a good decision.

[Baitball Blogger]

14. Pope Francis is going to be canonized.

A truly amazing leader for the Catholic church, at a time we needed one the most. If you don't think so, think of how much worse it could be if we had an autocratic priest leading millions of people around the world. And, does Catholicism even have a card to play in this game? Think of how many of the conservative judges on the Supreme Court are influenced by its antiquated decrees.

[Major Nikon]

15. Dares the Pope to fire him. Pope fires him...