A Texas bishop who has attracted a broad following on social media is the subject of an investigation by the Vatican. Sources tell The Pillar that the Vatican’s dicastery for bishops and its nuncio to the United States have visited Tyler.
They will reportedly present their findings to the pope. If the Vatican does ask Strickland to step down, it would be a severe blow to Catholic conservatives.
1. He is a shepherd
In the days before this month’s much-anticipated Synod of Bishops, a fiery Catholic bishop in Texas is at the center of a battle between the Vatican and conservative Catholics. Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler has been a target of an “apostolic visitation,” a type of investigation that the pope’s emissaries conduct in dioceses to determine their health and viability. The Pope is reported to be considering asking Strickland to resign. He has publicly refused.
As a pastor, Strickland has a vital role to play in shepherding his flock. He is entrusted to uphold the teachings of the Church and protect the faith of his followers, and he must not let anyone or anything undermine that authority. He also has a responsibility to speak out when his diocese is threatened.
Strickland has a solid social media presence, and he uses it to spread the Gospel in an increasingly secular culture. He has more than 124,000 followers on Twitter—more than double the number of Catholics in his diocese. He has used the platform to spread anti-vaccine messages during the coronavirus pandemic and to criticize the leadership of his diocese. He has even led prayer rallies outside of the L.A. Dodger Stadium, as well as a protest against the team’s decision to recognize an LGBTQ group.
But many have criticized Strickland for his lack of sensitivity, especially when it comes to the treatment of his LGBT parishioners. And the fact that he’s been an outspoken critic of the pontiff has caused some to suspect he may be being targeted by the Vatican.
While he’s not the only bishop being investigated, some say the case of Strickland is susceptible given that it could have significant implications for the Catholic Church in America. In particular, the Vatican is concerned that Strickland could inspire other prelates to abandon Catholic teaching on sexuality. And if Strickland is removed from his post, he could become a lightning rod for those who want to see the Catholic Church change its direction.
2. He is a victim
Strickland is a longtime critic of the pope and has been known to associate with reactionaries and conspiracy theorists in the Church. He has also promoted pseudoscientific theories about the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines. He has also endorsed videos calling the current pontiff a “diabolically disoriented clown.”
The Vatican has not made clear whether it plans to ask Strickland to resign, but it appears to have been considering the possibility. The Tyler bishop, who has been in his post since 2012, has reportedly been criticized by senior Church officials for not following the directives of the pope on social media and other topics. He has also been a vocal opponent of abortion and has publicly defended priests disciplined by other bishops. In June, he attended a prayer rally in Los Angeles against Major League Baseball’s decision to honor a Catholic drag group at a game.
In the past, the Church has removed bishops when it found them to have committed serious offenses such as sexual misconduct or mismanagement. However, in such cases, the pope usually consults with other bishops before requesting that a particular bishop resign. A priest in the Tyler diocese tells NCR that the investigation into Strickland has focused on governance and financial matters, as well as his controversies, and is not about his criticism of the pope.
According to the priest, an apostolic visitation, or “audiencia de la diocese,” took place in the diocese in June. During the process, senior Church officials reportedly asked questions related to governance and financial matters as well as controversies surrounding the bishop’s stance on issues including sexual ethics and the promotion of vaccine-related pseudoscience. The official said that a second hearing is planned for October, but the details are not yet public. The Vatican did not respond to a request for confirmation of the report, but a conservative-leaning website, The Pillar, reported that Strickland was meeting with senior Church officials on Saturday, including Archbishop Robert Prevost, head of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Bishops, and Christophe Pierre, the papal nuncio in the United States.
3. He is a headman
As the firebrand bishop of Tyler, Texas, Joseph Strickland attracts a broad following among opponents of Pope Francis for his leadership style and right-wing political views on social media. He’s also the subject of a Vatican investigation, and he signaled recently that he would not leave his post voluntarily. However the Catholic Church’s Code of Canon Law leaves little room for a bishop to resist a papal demand for resignation, according to canon lawyers.
Since becoming bishop in 2012, Strickland has made a name for himself with conservatives for his strong pro-life positions, particularly on abortion and stem cell research. He also became known during the coronavirus pandemic for advocating a more stringent position on vaccinations, calling for a return to the pre-1960s vaccine schedule. He is a frequent user of Twitter, where he has amassed more than 135,000 followers.
More recently, however, Strickland has become more critical of the pope and his policies. He has endorsed videos depicting the pope as a “diabolically disoriented clown” and warned that the current pontiff is undermining the “deposit of faith” through changes to the church’s liturgy and practice.
In a recent public letter, he said that many of the fundamental truths of the Catholic Church will be challenged at the Oct. 3-6 synod in Rome that will focus on the topic of “the universality of the church.” He says anyone who opposes those changes does not intend to leave the church.
While the bishop’s defenders point to his devoted evangelizing efforts and faithful pastoral leadership, critics point to his activism in the culture wars over issues such as LGBT inclusion and abortion. They say he’s promoting dangerous, anti-Catholic views that have no place in the church.
The Vatican has yet to comment on the matter, and the diocese of Tyler declined to respond to multiple requests for comment from Newsweek. But several sources within the diocese told The Pillar that the Vatican is investigating the bishop over a number of concerns, including governance of a diocesan high school, considerable staff turnover in the diocese’s curia, and the bishop’s support for Veritatis Splendor, a planned residential community that collapsed amid controversies over financial administration and staffing.
4. He is a wolf
An alleged rift between the pope and one of America’s leading Catholic bishops has the potential to turn into a full-blown scandal, according to new rumors in the Church. A source close to Bishop Joseph Strickland told The Pillar that the pope is considering asking for the Tyler, Texas, bishop’s resignation. The rumor, which LifeSiteNews and other right-wing outlets amplified, follows an apostolic visitation to Strickland’s diocese, a rare disciplinary investigation from the Holy See.
During the visitation, sources say, Francis raised concerns about various aspects of Strickland’s leadership, including governance of his diocesan high school, considerable staff turnover in the diocese’s curia, and Strickland’s welcoming of a controversial former religious sister as a high school employee. The alleged rift may also have to do with Strickland’s social media posts questioning the fidelity of Pope Francis and his endorsement of videos blasting the current pontiff as a “diabolically disoriented clown.”
Bishop Strickland’s tweet on May 12 questioned whether the pope is “faithful” and was an apparent attempt to distance himself from statements by a far-right Catholic podcaster who called the pope a heretic. In recent years, the bishop has strained his ties with other bishops, and with the pope by promoting a variety of anti-Francis memes on X. He has more followers on the platform — around 124,000 — than the total number of Catholics in his diocese and has used it to spread anti-vaccine messages during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The diocese declined to comment on the rumor of the apostolic visitation or a potential request for Strickland’s resignation, and multiple calls made by Fox News Digital to the diocese went unreturned. But in a letter to parishioners, Strickland said that even if he is forced to leave his post, he will not give up his mission to defend the Catholic faith and continue spreading the Gospel. Please keep Bishop Strickland and the Catholics of East Texas in your prayers. Pray that God will give them the strength and wisdom they need to serve as leaders in their respective roles and protect them from those who would do them harm.
