The outspoken Bishop of Tyler Texas, Joseph Strickland, was removed from office by Pope Francis after he refused to resign at the request of the Pope on November 9. Bishop Strickland had been critical of Pope Francis in his social media posts. Nonetheless, outright removal of a diocesan bishop is an unusual occurrence.
Bishop Strickland may have sealed his fate when he publicly referred to Pope Francis’ “program of undermining the Deposit of Faith.” That is a serious allegation, one better made inhouse behind closed doors rather than social media. While Strickland may have justifiable concerns about the Pope’s stance on some moral issues, airing those concerns can cause needless divisions and polarization among Catholics.
We trust the Holy Spirit to guide the Church to all truth in matters of faith and morals. Even if Pope Francis should express ideas that would seem to challenge certain Catholic long-held beliefs, we should remain confident that his opinions are not infallible declarations.
Bishop Strickland has a conservative following on social media that extends far beyond the boundaries of his former diocese. Similar to the political climate in our nation right now, the Church has its conservative and liberal factions. Some may call it traditionists and modernists. The traditionalists may call it orthodox versus heterodox. I doubt that Pope Francis intends to undermine the Deposit of Faith. I believe one can be orthodox and still explore conservative or liberal theological opinions. This may be where Francis and Strickland clash.
So, I blame both sides for this public dust up. Strickland should have kept his problems with Francis out of social media and Francis should have handled his disciplinary actions privately. To Strickland’s credit, during his November 11 interview with LifeSiteNews, he encouraged those upset by his dismissal to pray for the Pope and not to leave the Church. Meanwhile, the rest of us are left to wonder if we should be taking sides.
