News/Commentary

Vatican investigates Texas bishop for leading Prayer March against LA Dodgers over drag nuns

June 26, 2023 | | Print Article

Texas Bishop Joseph Strickland has been formally investigated by the Vatican for leading a Prayer March against the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and the LA Dodgers in an act that hints at possible disciplinary action against him for taking a strong stance against abortion, blasphemy, and evil.

(Video Credit: Newsmax)

The Vatican’s Dicastery of Bishops has completed its formal investigation of Bishop Joseph E. Strickland and the Diocese of Tyler, Texas, according to Catholic News Agency.

The investigation is called an apostolic visitation. It is a rare intervention by the Vatican in Rome into a US diocese and indicates possible disciplinary action against Strickland. The bishop, 64, is a popular firebrand Catholic priest who staunchly defends the unborn, marriage, the traditional Latin liturgy, and Catholic orthodoxy.

He has led the eastern Texas diocese since 2012 and has been criticized for social media posts including a May 12 tweet that suggested Pope Francis was “undermining the Deposit of Faith.”

Bishop Strickland recently led a eucharistic procession and prayer rally in Los Angeles on June 16 which was organized to protest Major League Baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers for honoring the anti-Catholic drag group at the team’s annual Pride Night game.

(Video Credit: Through The Lens Of Autism)

Catholic News Agency reported, “Though he was hailed for his leadership in some circles for joining the Dodgers protest, others saw the involvement of a bishop from another diocese as a breach of ecclesiastical protocol. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles, which condemned the Dodgers’ actions, emphasized in a statement that it had not given ‘backing or approval’ for the rally.”

On June 21, Strickland criticized a newly released Vatican document that suggests topics for discussion at an October assembly are tied to the ongoing Synod on Synodality, including questions related to women deacons, married priests, and calls for greater inclusion for LGBT people.

“It is a travesty that these things are even proposed for discussion. I pray that all who truly know Jesus Christ will not be deceived by this path,” he tweeted. “The Gospel welcomes all to repentance & sanctity, if there is no repentance the barriers to sanctity remain.”

Catholic media outlets began circulating the news of the investigation on Saturday, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.

“According to a source in the diocese who spoke with EWTN News on background, the apostolic visitation consisted of interviews with diocesan clergy and laity throughout the preceding week before concluding on Saturday morning with a meeting with Strickland. Bishop Emeritus Gerald Kicanas of Tucson and Bishop Dennis Sullivan of Camden, New Jersey, led the inquiry,” Catholic News Agency reported.

The unnamed source contended that the process addressed the bishop’s social media use and questions related to diocesan management.

During Strickland’s overseeing of the Diocese of Tyler, three diocesan officials resigned in 2018. The bishop said that the resignations would position the diocese to best fulfill its mission.

Strickland’s leadership has been positive for his parish, according to Catholic News Agency, “But Strickland’s tenure has also coincided with positive signs of spiritual and administrative health in Tyler. Currently, 21 men are in priestly formation for the territory of only 55,000 Catholics, a rate of seminarians-per-Catholic considerably higher than most other U.S. dioceses. The diocese is also reportedly in good financial shape, exemplified in part by its ability to raise 99% of its $2.3 million goal for the 2021 bishop’s appeal six months ahead of schedule.”

It is unclear what will happen now following the apostolic visitation.

“While one source described as someone close to Strickland told the Pillar that the Tyler bishop ‘doesn’t want to make too big of a deal’ of the visitation, a priest related that interviewers ‘were already asking questions about who might be a good fit to replace [Strickland],” the Catholic media outlet recounted.

Bishop Strickland is strongly supported:

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