VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Saturday fired Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas, one in all his harshest critics amongst U.S. Catholic conservatives, after he refused to step down within the wake of a Vatican investigation.
It is rather uncommon for a bishop to be relieved of his duties instantly. Bishops who’ve issues with the Vatican are normally requested to resign earlier than submitting a resignation, which the Pope accepts.
Popes make such strikes, that are thought of radical, when a bishop rejects a request to resign. Strickland is 65, 10 years under the same old retirement age for bishops.
Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston stated in an announcement that Strickland was requested to resign on November 9 however refused.
Strickland, a prolific social media person who was appointed to the diocese by the late Pope Benedict
He has significantly criticized the pope’s try and make the church extra welcoming to the LGBT neighborhood and Francis’ makes an attempt to provide the laity extra accountability within the church and opposed the latest synod.
The Vatican assertion on Saturday saying the dismissal didn’t give any motive.
One motive, Strickland famous in an interview with the ultra-conservative LifeSiteNews, was his refusal to implement a Vatican directive to limit the usage of the old-style Latin Mass favored by some conservatives.
“I stand by all of the issues that had been listed as complaints towards me…and I might do it the identical manner once more. I really feel very at peace within the Lord and within the fact that he died for,” Strickland stated.
The dismissal adopted a Vatican investigation earlier this 12 months into the administration of the Diocese of Tyler, which Catholic media studies stated included a overview of his dealing with of funds. DiNardo stated the investigation concluded that Strickland’s continuation in workplace “was not possible.”
Strickland grew to become one of the vital outstanding standard-bearers for the ultra-conservative wing of the American church, with a nationwide following that extends past the small Diocese of Tyler in East Texas.
Final August, the Pope expressed his remorse at what he described as a “reactionary” Catholic Church in america, saying that political ideology had changed religion in some instances.
Strickland is a staunch supporter of former US President Donald Trump, and is taken into account a hero by conservative American Catholic media allied with Trump.
Final 12 months, when the Vatican deposed conservative American anti-abortion priest Frank Pavone for his “blasphemous” social media posts and disobedience to the bishops, Strickland was one of many few American bishops to publicly defend him.
“It’s blasphemous for this holy priesthood to be abolished whereas an evil president encourages the denial of fact and homicide of unborn youngsters at each flip, Vatican officers encourage immorality and denial of the deposit of religion and clergymen encourage life-destroying gender confusion… ‘evil,’” he wrote. Strickland on the platform then referred to as Twitter.
The Vatican stated Francis appointed Bishop Joe Vasquez of Austin, Texas, as interim administrator of the Diocese of Tyler.
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