Pope removes conservative critic Joseph Strickland as bishop of Tyler, Texas
Pope removes conservative critic Joseph Strickland as bishop of Tyler, Texas
It is rare for the pope to remove a bishop from office. The Vatican said it asked Strickland to resign Thursday, but he declined, prompting Francis to remove him from office two days later.
"This is total war," Matt wrote on social media. "Francis is a clear and present danger not only to Catholics the world over but also to the whole world itself."
This reminds me of the South Park ep where Bill Donahue steals the pontiff because the pope isn't extreme enough.
In comments to Portuguese Jesuits in August, Francis blasted the "backwardness" of these conservative bishops, saying they had replaced faith with ideology and that a correct understanding of Catholic doctrine allows for change over time.
Wow, for once, I actually sorta like the pope.
Strickland backed Vigano's conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic, and on Saturday Vigano wrote that Strickland's ouster showed a "cowardly form of authoritarianism" by Francis. "This affair will reveal who stands with the true Church of Christ and who chooses to stand with His declared enemies," Vigano wrote on X.
Again, this is that South Park ep.
'This affair will reveal who stands with the true Church of Christ and who chooses to stand with His declared enemies,' Vigano wrote on X.
Sounds like he's hoping for a major schism. Maybe he's hoping for the political power that would come from uniting the whole alt-right under one new religion, built around fear and hate
As a history scholar, I've learned that the last time there was a major schism, it was bloody and violent. How bad would it be this time around? And, as a non-Catholic, how would I be affected? The answers to these questions will determine how I prepare for the event.
The last time there was a major schism the nations of the day were explicitly aligned with one side of the other of the schism and the states attempted to crush the other side of the schism by force. Part of the separation of church and state in modern nations is meant to prevent church issues from becoming state issues (see the recent mainstream schism in the Methodist chuch which was completely peaceful and over similar issues).
And, as a non-Catholic, how would I be affected? The answers to these questions will determine how I prepare for the event.
I'm not a history scholar, but I was raised Catholic. My guess is that if there is a schism to happen again, it will be American conservative Catholics who would split and set up their own church, like how Eastern Orthodox set up their own church as they do not recognise the pope in Rome but rather the one in Constantinople (aside from differences in theology).
I'm not sure how bad the schism might be though. Pope Pius XII did modernise the Catholic church in the 1960s to allow Catholic churches to speak in local languages; but a tiny minority of conservative Latin-speaking clergy split to continue the old way. That group has been rehabilitated now. Even if the present American Catholic conservatives declare split, we don't know how many will follow. Probably the best case scenario in this event is that there will be politicking behind the scenes to undermine Pope Francis.
Edit: oh I hadn't realise you're asking specifically how you might be affected personally by this. My guess is that it depends how bad the schism is, as I mentioned. I think the bishop who was sacked is a Trump-supporter. If significant amount of American Catholic conservatives follow him and Trump, that would turn more Americans to support the right. I'm not sure what you're political leanings are but that might be good or bad.
Buy a gun if you’re American. They’ll probably try to implement the theocratic state of the Texas Papacy
I had a longer post and accidentally closed it. Oh well. Learn about this guy for laughs:
Blessed be the fruit.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Pope Francis on Saturday ordered the removal of 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.
Francis has not been shy about his concerns about the right wing in the U.S. Catholic hierarchy, which has been split between progressives and conservatives who long found support in the doctrinaire papacies of St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI, particularly on issues of abortion and same-sex marriage.
In comments to Portuguese Jesuits in August, Francis blasted the "backwardness" of these conservative bishops, saying they had replaced faith with ideology and that a correct understanding of Catholic doctrine allows for change over time.
The meeting debated a host of previously taboo issues, including women in governance roles and welcoming LGBTQ+ Catholics, but in the end, its final document didn't veer from established doctrine.
In a social media post sent a few hours before the Vatican's noon announcement, Strickland wrote a prayer about Christ being the "way, the truth and the life, yesterday, today and forever."
The incoming temporary administrator for Tyler, Austin Bishop Joe Vásquez, said he would be travelling to the diocese over the coming weeks to be on hand for the priests, staff and lay faithful "to assess their needs."
The original article contains 1,061 words, the summary contains 224 words. Saved 79%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!
The next one he needs to kick out is Cardinal Woelki.
In September Woelki met with Pope Francis and offered his resignation, which the pope declined to accept, instead granting his request for a six-month leave for spiritual reflection.
Sounds like a cop paid-vacation for harming people.
Doesn’t criticism of the pope make you a non-catholic by definition?