The Vatican announced on Saturday (November 11) that Pope Francis has relieved 65-year-old Bishop Joseph Strickland of his bishopric of Tyler, Texas.

Strickland's removal came after he refused a Vatican order for him to submit his resignation two days prior (November 9), according to the Archbishop of Houston, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo.

While Holy See officials have not provided any official reason for his removal, Strickland insisted that his appointment as bishop in 2012 by the late Pope Benedict XVI could not be abdicated. Church law dictates that a bishop can be removed at the discretion of the pope, with the alternative being signing a resignation letter - usually required for bishops who turn 75.

The Vatican has appointed Bishop Joe Vasquez of Austin as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Tyler until a new bishop has been designated.

The pope's decision to sack Strickland came two days ahead of the beginning of the autumn plenary meeting of the US Catholic bishops' Conference, which would begin in Baltimore on Monday (November 13).

Financial and Management Standoff

The Vatican bishops office completed a formal investigation which - according to a source who told EWTN on the condition of anonymity - looked into the bishop's social media use and questions related to diocesan management.

The investigation, which the Vatican called an "apostolic visitation," was conducted by Bishop Dennis Sullivan of Camden and the former Bishop of Tuscon, Gerald Kicanas. The two made an "exhaustive inquiry into all aspects of [Strickland's] governance and leadership" and recommended that the bishop's tenure was no longer "feasible," Cardinal DiNardo said in a statement on Saturday.

"Let us keep Bishop Strickland, the clergy and faithful of the Diocese of Tyler and Bishop Vasquez in our prayers," the statement added.

During Strickland's decade as Bishop of Tyler, the diocese experienced some noteworthy changes, including the resignation of three diocesan officials in 2018, a move he said at the time was necessary to fulfill its mission moving forward.

According to the Associated Press, Strickland was the second US Catholic bishop this year to be removed from his post after Bishop Richard Stika of Knoxville, Tennessee, was forced to resign following allegations he mishandled sex abuse allegations and complaints from his priest about his leadership and behavior.

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(Photo : Catholic News Agency/EWTN)
Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas has been relieved of his bishopric after he refused a request from the Vatican to step down.

Voice of Conservative, Traditional US Catholics

Prior to his removal, Strickland, an American cleric of Australian descent, served as Bishop of Tyler since 2012. The bishop was widely popular among conservative Catholics but also faced criticism for his firebrand social media posts, including a May 12 tweet that suggested that Francis was "undermining" Catholic doctrine.

In particular, the bishop has been critical of Francis's recent meeting on the future of the Catholic Church, during which hot-button topics such as women's ordination, accommodation for LGBT+ Catholics, and financial and managerial accountability reforms were discussed.

Strickland's time as Bishop of Tyler coincided with positive signs of spiritual and administrative health in the 119,168-strong local congregation. As of writing, 21 men are undergoing seminary formation. The diocese was also reportedly in good financial state as it raised 99% of its $2.3 million goal for the 2021 bishop's appeal six months ahead of schedule.

Conservative website LifeSiteNews said it had interviewed Strickland on Saturday, quoting him as saying that one of the reasons given for his removal was his refusal to implement the papal motu proprio "Traditionis Custodes," which restricted the celebration of the Mass as it was offered prior to 1962, which stipulated the use of Latin and more reverent gestures and music. Strickland was quoted by LifeSite saying that he refused to implement Traditionis Custodes as he did not want to "starve out" part of his congregation that attended the Latin Mass.

"I feel very much at peace in the Lord and the truth that he died for," he added.

The bishop had also been associated with bishops that have similar criticisms of Pope Francis, including former papal nuncio to the US Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano and Cardinal Raymond Burke.

Meanwhile, Michael Matt, editor of the traditionalist newspaper The Remnant, accused Francis of "actively trying to bury fidelity to the Church of Jesus Christ" in removing Strickland from his bishopric.

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