Quo Vadis

Nov 13, 2023

In this video we share Bishop Joseph Strickland's Responds to His Removal from His Diocese

The Vatican announced Saturday that Pope Francis has relieved Bishop Joseph Strickland from his duties in the Diocese of Tyler, Texas, and appointed an apostolic administrator to replace him.

Strickland’s removal on November 11 comes after the Texas bishop refused a Vatican request for him to submit his resignation two days prior, according to Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Houston.

Just hours after Pope Francis removed Bishop Joseph Strickland as the head of the Diocese of Tyler, the Texas Bishop shared his side of the story — filling in some blanks.

Bishop Strickland revealed, in a November 11 interview with LifeSiteNews, conducted shortly after the Vatican announced Pope Francis had relieved him from the “pastoral governance” of Tyler, why he thinks he was removed from office.

“I really can't look to any reason except I've threatened some of the powers that be with the truth of the Gospel,” said Bishop Strickland.

During the interview, Bishop Strickland also underscored that Pope Francis has the authority to remove him from diocesan governance, and frequently encouraged those upset or confused by the development to pray for the pope and not to leave the Church.

But the 30-minute media appearance did not answer several key unknowns in the Bishop Strickland story, such as what the Vatican’s stated reasons — if any were given — were for the dramatic step, and also, concretely, what comes next for the now diocese-less bishop.

Here’s what Bishop Strickland had to say, and what remains unanswered.

He shared that he had been asked to resign on November 9, but that he "couldn’t, of my will, abandon the flock that I’d been given.”

That version of events corresponds with a November 11 statement from Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, who as head of the Archdiocese Galveston-Houston is the metropolitan of the ecclesiastical province that includes the Diocese of Tyler.

In his statement, Cardinal DiNardo said that following a June apostolic visitation by two retired American bishops at the behest of the Vatican that included “an exhaustive inquiry into all aspects of the governance and leadership” of Tyler under Strickland, a recommendation was made to Pope Francis that “the continuation in office of Bishop Strickland was not feasible.”

After months of deliberation, the Texas bishop was presented with a request to resign, and “the Holy Father removed Bishop Strickland from the Office of Bishop of Tyler” when the prelate declined the request, Cardinal DiNardo wrote.

The findings of the apostolic visitation have not been published, nor has the Vatican disclosed why Strickland was removed from office.

When asked what was behind Pope Francis’ decision, 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.”

Bishop Strickland did not accuse Pope Francis of being part of this push to undermine Church teaching, but he did say that “many forces are working at him and influencing him to make these kinds of decisions.”

For those "forces," the bishop said, “I’m a problem,” and so they pushed for the “removal of a bishop for standing with the Gospel.”

Mirrored from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afGI4vE0q2w