Bishop Strickland Responds to His Removal As Thousands Sign Petition

Tens of thousands of people have signed a petition backing a conservative bishop in Texas who has been dismissed from his position by Pope Francis.

In a brief statement on Saturday, the Vatican said Francis, in a rare move, had "removed" Bishop Joseph Strickland of the pastoral governance of Tyler and appointed the bishop of Austin as the diocese's interim administrator.

Strickland is one of the pope's fiercest critics among U.S. Catholic conservatives and has been particularly critical of the pope's attempt to make the church more welcoming to the LGBTQ+ community.

The Vatican statement announcing Strickland's dismissal did not provide a reason. The head of the church in Texas, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, said Francis removed Strickland after he declined to resign following a Vatican investigation.

Strickland told the conservative website LifeSiteNews on Saturday that one of the reasons was his refusal to implement Francis' 2021 restrictions on celebrating the old Latin Mass.

"I stand by all the things that were listed as complaints against me," he told the website, adding that he refused to implement the restrictions because "I can't starve out part of my flock."

He added: "I'd do it the same way again. I feel very much at peace in the Lord and the truth that he died for."

In a lengthier interview with the website on Saturday, Strickland expressed his dismay at his dismissal.

"It is a sad day for me, but I'm strong in the Lord," he said. "I encourage myself and others to go more deeply than ever into prayer, to pray for Pope Francis, to pray for the church, to pray for our world. Certainly, I appreciate the prayers and I need them, and to pray for the diocese of Tyler, the many people whose lives are disrupted by this."

On his removal, he added: "I really can't look to any reason except I've threatened some of the powers that be with the truth of the gospel."

Strickland's dismissal sparked an outcry among some conservatives and a petition backing him has amassed close to 30,000 signatures.

Strickland "has led the diocese for over 10 years and been lauded by faithful Catholics for his promotion of love for Christ in the eucharist and traditional Catholic teachings. But he is now being canceled for, among other things, defending the Catholic Church against error," the petition states.

It alleges the Vatican has had Strickland in its "crosshairs for some time, not least because, like St. Paul corrected St. Peter, Strickland publicly corrected several heterodox statements from Pope Francis."

Strickland could not immediately be reached for comment.

Francis, meanwhile, has called out the "backwardness" of U.S. Catholic conservatives, saying in August that they had replaced faith with political ideology.

The Vatican sent in investigators earlier this year to look into Strickland's governance of the diocese, which Catholic media outlets reported as including a review of his handling of financial affairs.

Two Vatican investigators sent in to investigate Strickland "conducted an exhaustive inquiry into all aspects of the governance and leadership of the diocese," DiNardo said in his statement.

After their investigation, the recommendation was made to Francis that "the continuation in office of Bishop Strickland was not feasible," he said. The Vatican did not release the findings of the inquiry.

"After months of careful consideration by the dicastery for Bishops and the holy father, the decision was reached that the resignation of Bishop Strickland should be requested," DiNardo said.

"Having been presented with that request on November 9, 2023, Bishop Strickland declined to resign from office. Thereafter, on November 11, 2023, the pope removed Bishop Strickland from the office of bishop of Tyler."

The diocese of Tyler announced Strickland's removal in a statement on Saturday.

"Our work as the Catholic church in northeast Texas continues," the statement said. "Our mission is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, to foster an authentic Christian community, and to serve the needs of all people with compassion and love."

Newsweek has reached out to the Vatican for comment via email.