You've heard the expression. Is the Pope Catholic?
Perhaps he's like most Republicans in DC these days. "IN NAME ONLY"
Pope Francis has removed Bishop Joseph Strickland, a strong advocate of traditional Catholic teachings, from his duties in the diocese of Tyler, Texas.
The move, announced by the Vatican Saturday, comes after the Vatican's Dicastery for Bishops finished its formal investigation, an apostolic visitation, into the diocese earlier this year, the Catholic News Agency (CNA) reported.
In a statement from the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Cardinal Daniel Denardo said, said,“As a result of the visitation, the recommendation was made to the Holy Father that the continuation in office of Bishop Strickland was not feasible.
"After months of careful consideration by the Dicastery for Bishops and the Holy Father, the decision was reached that the resignation of Bishop Strickland should be requested. Having been presented with that request on November 9, 2023, Bishop Strickland declined to resign from office. Thereafter, on November 11, 2023, the Holy Father removed Bishop Strickland from the Office of Bishop of Tyler."
The Vatican replaced Bishop Strickland with an apostolic administrator.
The investigation included an examination of Strickland's use of social media, along with questions related to the management of the diocese.
The probe came after Strickland, 65, had been posting social media messages and making other announcements critical of the Pope's support of "radical left-wing changes" to Church teachings.
Pope Francis and American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, the prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops met Saturday morning before the Vatican announced the pope's decision to remove Strickland.
Strickland's firing sparked an immediate outcry among conservatives and traditionalists.
Michael J. Matt, editor of the traditionalist newspaper The Remnant, wrote, with the firing, Francis was "actively trying to bury fidelity to the Church of Jesus Christ."
"This is total war," Matt wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "Francis is a clear and present danger not only to Catholics the world over but also to the whole world itself."
The pope's firing of Strickland comes this week as the Vatican announced transgender individuals could be baptized and serve as godparents.
Critics say the move is not consistent with traditional Catholic teaching which sees transgender activities as a sin, making baptism allowable only after confession.
The reason for the bishop's removal was not revealed in the Vatican's statement, which was described as a routine outline of global staffing changes by The New York Times.
Strickland recently responded to the investigation into his leadership and the talk about his leadership in a letter stating that he could not resign "because that would be me abandoning the flock" and said he would only step aside if the pope removed him.
Pope Francis has continually claimed he is open and welcomes dissent, but he has taken harsh steps against traditionalists in the hierarchy who have disagreed with him.
Last year, Francis defrocked Father Frank Pavone, the nation's leading Catholic pro-life advocate.
In 2022, Francis shocked Catholics by appointing a pro-abortion economist to the Vatican's Pontifical Academy for Life.
Strickland, over the past year has questioned Vatican officials' qualifications as Catholics, accused Francis of undermining the Catholic faith, and claimed the pope's synod that convened last month threatens "basic truths" of the church's doctrine.
"Regrettably, it may be that some will label as schismatics those who disagree with the changes being proposed," Strickland wrote in a public letter in August.
"Instead, those who would propose changes to that which cannot be changed seek to commandeer Christ's Church, and they are indeed the true schismatics."
The Pope's synod, called the Synod on Synodality, appears to be moving to allow Catholic blessings for homosexual civil unions.
Such a move, Church traditionalists, argue would directly contravene the Magisterium, the long-held teaching of the church which only permits sexual relations in traditional marriage between a man and woman.
CNA reported that during Strickland's more than 10 years in Tyler, the diocese went through several changes, including the resignation of three diocesan officials.
But there have also been some positive signs in the diocese, which has 21 men in priestly formation in the diocese, which serves 119,168 Catholics. And the diocese is considered financially healthy.
Before the pope's firing of Strickland, there had been rumors the Holy Father was planning to take action against him.
Strickland was chastised privately in November 2021 by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the papal nuncio, or ambassador, to the United States, during a meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The American Church has offered stiff opposition to Francis' efforts to depart from the church's teaching on marriage and homosexuality.
The pope reportedly criticized American Catholics during a visit to Portugal in August for having a "very strong, organized, reactionary attitude" on issues such as abortion and sexuality rather than focusing on concerns such as climate change and caring for migrants.
Despite his firing, Strickland will continue to have a platform to disagree with Francis through a weekly radio show and more than 150,000 followers on X, formerly Twitter.
