Pope Francis has forcibly removed from office the bishop of Tyler, Texas. Bishop Joseph Strickland is a conservative who is active on social media and has been a fierce critic of the pontiff and some of his priorities.

Pope Francis on Saturday forcibly removed the bishop of Tyler, Texas, a firebrand 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 one-line 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, accusing him in a tweet earlier this year of “undermining the deposit of faith.” He has been particularly critical of Francis’ recent meeting on the future of the Catholic Church during which hot-button issues were discussed, including ways to better welcome LGBTQ+ Catholics.

Earlier this year, the Vatican sent in investigators to look into his governance of the diocese, amid reports that priests and laypeople in Tyler had complained and that he was making unorthodox claims.

  • Skates@feddit.nlEnglish
    866·
    1 year ago

    I don’t get how you can be ‘too progressive’. Surely progress is a good thing, no? If you’re against progress, you’re in favor of things remaining as they are or getting worse. To me, that’s just being a cunt.

    I guess what I’m saying is, “Pope removes bishop for being too much of a cunt” would’ve been a good headline also.

    • modeler@lemmy.worldEnglish
      323·
      1 year ago

      Many people worked hard within the current hierarchy or system to attain power. They essentially invested their time, resource or energy for this gain over a lifetime. Progressives want change to the existing power heirarchies and systems. That change nullifies the lifetime investment. That’s why there is such institutional resistance to progressives.

    • Spendrill@lemm.eeEnglish
      231·
      1 year ago

      To me, that’s just being a cunt.

      Welcome to religious conservatism.

    • R0cket_M00se@lemmy.worldEnglish
      9·
      1 year ago

      Progress in general is just a term. What people consider to be “progressive” can change from person to person. There’s also the obvious risk of progressing too quickly before things can stabilize, you could progress a third world country far quicker than their people/culture would be able to keep up, for example.

      While I understand and agree with your general sentiment, but the idea that progress is actually progress just because it carries the term is a fallacy.