Western journal:
Pope Francis on Saturday forcibly removed the bishop of Tyler, Texas, a conservative prelate active on social media who has been a fierce critic of the pontiff and has come to symbolize the polarization within the U.S. Catholic hierarchy.
A short statement from the Vatican said Francis had “relieved” Bishop Joseph Strickland of the pastoral governance of Tyler and appointed the bishop of Austin as the temporary administrator.
Strickland, 65, has emerged as a leading critic of Francis, 86, accusing him in a tweet earlier this year of “undermining the deposit of faith.”
Strickland has been particularly critical of Francis’ recent meeting on the future of the Catholic Church, a meeting during which hot-button issues were discussed, including ways to better welcome LGBT Catholics.
Earlier this year, the Vatican sent in investigators to look into Strickland’s governance of the diocese amid reports the bishop was making doctrinally unorthodox claims.
The firing of Strickland sparked an immediate outcry among some conservatives and traditionalists who had held him up as a leading point of Catholic reference to counter Francis’ progressive reforms.
There's a reason Pope Francis is often dubbed "Obama's Pope." It's becoming increasingly clear that he was chosen with a specific purpose: to guide the Catholic Church down a woke, progressive path. Many conservative Catholics are viewing this shift under Francis as nothing short of an "act of war."
