The news of Bishop Joseph Strickland’s removal has sent shock waves throughout the Catholic world. A Vatican spokesman never released a reason for his untimely dismissal from the Diocese of Tyler, Texas. There were rumors of “administrative” issues and disgruntled employees, but other than that, the justification for his demise seems to be, on the surface, totally unjust and punitive in nature.
And why exactly is Bishop Strickland being punished? Because he had the audacity to consistently call out the progressive elements within the church who are trying to destroy 2,000 years of doctrine and tradition.
One such example occurred at a 2018 bishops’ meeting. Strickland, without specifically naming him, called out Fr. James Martin for his promotion of the LGBTQ lifestyle. Strickland stated, “It is part of our deposit of faith, that we believe homosexual activity is immoral. The people, those that we label homosexual, are children of God and they need our great care, but to me that real care comes from acknowledging the sin and the reality that all of us are sinners called from sin to virtue.” He went on, “Do we believe the doctrine of the church or not? There’s a priest who travels around now, basically saying that he doesn’t and he seems to be very well promoted in various places.”
This kind of orthodoxy is not to be allowed in the new synodal church Pope Francis and his cronies are trying to concoct. But what the historical persecutors of Christianity never fully understood, and the current tyrants still don’t comprehend, is that the more that you try to squash the one true faith, the stronger it will become.
The making of martyrs in the early days of the church always backfired, causing more people to convert to Christianity. Former pagans were touched by early Christians’ faithful witness and courage and were inspired to join the ranks. The same will be true for Bishop Strickland. He will inspire a new generation of faithful Catholics to hold fast to the deposit of faith. A user on X (Twitter) noted, “Bp (sic) Strickland is a forerunner of a new type of Catholic…which is really the old type. One who lives in Truth, speaks Truth, and is willing to suffer for Truth. His persecution will only open the door to countless others to rise up. Thank you, good Bishop!”
Another bonus is that Bishop Strickland is now unchained, free to speak the truth without fearing reprisal from the hierarchy. In a bold move, he led hundreds of Catholics in a public recitation of the rosary outside of the Marriott Waterfront Hotel in Baltimore. This is the same location where the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is currently gathered for its biannual meetings. Although Strickland will no longer have an opportunity to voice an opinion or cast a vote at this gathering, he is making more of an impact in his current situation.
The mask is now fully off, and the faithful know that Pope Francis and his minions, without cause, fired a well-loved and respected defender of the faith. Hopefully, it may now be more difficult for the so-called synodal church of accompaniment to enact its far-reaching and heterodox progressive agenda. Even moderate defenders of the faith will see this stunt for what it really is – an autocratic tyrant in white robes and a zuchetta ousting one of his biggest critics.
Pray for the Pope and the Church.
One thought on “The White Martyrdom of Bishop Strickland”