On the heels of the pointless Synod on Synodality and a confusing motu prio on theology, Pope Francis finally caught the world’s attention by removing Bishop Joseph Strickland from leading the Diocese of Tyler in East Texas. Francis offered no explanation for the move, so he has left everyone following the story to speculate on the reasons. As far as anyone knows, Strickland didn’t have any scandals, nor did he deviate from the Roman Catholic Church’s teachings. On the contrary, he is one of the loudest proponents of Catholic orthodoxy.
Strickland was a conservative who sympathized with traditionalist Catholics. He asked uncomfortable questions about the Catholic leadership deliberately ignoring sexual abuse. As Catholic writer Kevin Wells explains in a recent essay, five years ago Strickland openly questioned why nothing was done with then-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, a notorious sexual predator who preyed on incoming seminarians at his beach house.
Strickland has since developed a reputation for opposing Francis’ progressive agenda. This culminated in a number of criticisms of the latest synod. He expressed fears about massive changes to the church’s teachings. In all likelihood, Strickland’s complaints — and those of men like him — prevented these changes from occurring.
Strickland’s Loyalty to Francis
Various Marxists, who self-identify as Catholics (aka “liberal Catholics”), have attributed Strickland’s demotion to a speech he gave on Oct. 31 in which he called Francis a “usurper.” They fail to mention, however, that Strickland read those words from a letter he received. He was not asserting
