Among those Bishops who oppose Pope Francis, why should the Apostolic See focus on Bishop Strickland? A few reasons.

Opposition to the decisions of Pope Francis on doctrine and discipline is often said to be centered in the United States. There are certainly papal opponents and papal critics in other nations, but the U.S. has many vocal opponents of the Roman Pontiff, and is also the location of various Catholic publications which spread dissent against Pope Francis and other recent Popes, as well as against Vatican I and II. Then, among the U.S. Bishops, who mostly tend toward the liberal end of the spectrum, the conservative Bishop Joseph Strickland of Texas has emerged as the leading U.S. Bishop who openly opposes Pope Francis. Making matters worse, Strickland’s words against the Pope have been prominently featured in Catholic and some secular news sources.

But there are other opponents of the Pope among the Bishops.

One of the most extreme opponents of Pope Francis is Bishop Vigano, a former U.S. nuncio. But he appears to be living in Europe, perhaps in Italy. In any case his opposition to the Pope is so extreme, even as compared to other papal opponents, that the Pope might do well to simply ignore him. After all, he also has no diocese assigned to him, and is essentially sidelined from the body of Bishops.

Then there is Bishop Burke of the United States. But he is one of the less strident opponents of Pope Francis, and he is not in charge of any diocese. Burke, like Vigano, has been sidelined from official positions of power in the Church. This leaves Bishop Athanasius Schneider as one of the top episcopal critics of the Pope, who is still active in his episcopal role. However, he is only an auxiliary Bishop, and he is stationed in Kazakhstan.

So among Bishops who openly oppose Pope Francis, Bishop Joseph E. Strickland of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas, is one of the most prominent and active opponents of Pope Francis. Then, too, he resides in and leads a diocese in the U.S., which is seen as the main location for papal opposition. All these factors might play a role in why Pope Francis would be particularly interested in confronting Strickland, possibly asking for his resignation. (When the Pope wants to “fire” someone, he requests their resignation. Then the Bishop has no real option other than to resign.)

Now let’s examine a recent pastoral letter from Bishop Strickland, issued on August 22, 2023, to see what light it might shed on his opposition to the Pope and to the ongoing Synod on Synodality.

Bishop Strickland: “In this time of great turmoil in the Church and in the world, I must speak to you from a father’s heart in order to warn you of the evils that threaten us, and to assure you of the joy and hope that we have always in our Lord Jesus Christ. The evil and false message that has invaded the Church, Christ’s Bride, is that Jesus is only one among many, and that it is not necessary for His message to be shared with all humanity. This idea must be shunned and refuted at every turn. We must share the joyful good news that Jesus is our only Lord, and that He desires that all humanity for all time may embrace eternal life in Him.”

As is clear from the rest of the letter’s contents, and from past public expressions by Bishop Strickland, “the evils that threaten us” refers to the decisions on doctrine and discipline of Pope Francis and the many Bishops cooperating with him, as well as specifically referring to the ongoing Synod on Synodality. Similarly, the reference to an “evil and false message that has invaded the Church” is a complaint against the teachings of Pope Francis. And, to be clear, these are false accusations against Pope Francis, as he has not taught salvation apart from Christ and His Church. Francis’ teaching on salvation is in accord with the teaching of Pope Saint John Paul II, such as in Redemptoris Missio (n. 10) and in Vatican II.

“Once we understand that Jesus Christ, God’s Divine Son, is the fullness of revelation and the fulfillment of the Father’s plan of salvation for all humanity for all time, and we embrace this with all our hearts, then we can address the other errors that plague our Church and our world which have been brought about by a departure from Truth.”

The Church is indefectible, and, as the Church has always taught, Peter and each of his successors has the charism of truth and never-failing faith. So it cannot be the case that the Roman Pontiff has introduced any grave errors to plague the indefectible Church, nor can it be true that the Roman Pontiff has brought about “a departure from Truth” in the Church.

These accusations are, so far, somewhat vague, and you might consider whether these refer to Pope Francis and the body of Bishops, who support him. But as we examine other expressions of Bishop Strickland, it will become clear that he refers to the Pope and most of the Bishops.

“In St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he writes: “I am amazed that you are so quickly forsaking the one who called you by {the} grace {of Christ} for a different gospel {not that there is another}. But there are some who are disturbing you and wish to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach {to you} a gospel other than the one that we preached to you, let that one be accursed! As we have said before, and now I say again, if anyone preaches to you a gospel other than the one that you received, let that one be accursed!” (Gal 1:6-9) “

Here Bishop Strickland is using Scripture to literally call down a curse on whosoever he refers to by his previous and subsequent accusations. If he is accusing the Roman Pontiff of calling people to a different gospel, and therefore is cursing the Vicar of Christ, this would be quite a severe offense.

“As your spiritual father, I feel it is important to reiterate the following basic truths that have always been understood by the Church from time immemorial, and to emphasize that the Church exists not to redefine matters of faith, but to safeguard the Deposit of Faith as it has been handed down to us from Our Lord Himself through the apostles and the saints and martyrs. Again, hearkening back to St. Paul’s warning to the Galatians, any attempts to pervert the true Gospel message must be categorically rejected as injurious to the Bride of Christ and her individual members.”

It is also a problem that Strickland, like other opponents of Pope Francis, presents himself as implicitly a replacement for the Roman Pontiff and the body of Bishops led by him, on the pretext that they have gone astray from the Deposit of Faith and the truths always taught by the Church. The Roman Pontiff is the “father and teacher of all Christians” according to Vatican I. And there are ample teachings from Popes, Councils, Fathers, Doctors, and Saints on the papal charisms — divinely-conferred gifts given to every Pope — which absolutely guarantee that the Pope cannot fail in faith nor lead the Church astray. See these many teachings here.

So while claiming to defend the true teachings of the Deposit of Faith — a role given by Christ only to the Vicar of Christ and the body of Bishops led by him (as a body, not as individual Bishops opposing the Pope and other Bishops) — Strickland is actually denying the ancient constant teaching of the Church on the role of the Roman Pontiff and the Apostolic College, as well as the dogma of the indefectibility of the Church. Strickland is proposing that his interpretation of the truths of Tradition, Scripture, and constant magisterial teaching be held by the faithful in opposition to the teachings of the Pope and the body of Bishops with him. That is the definition of schism, to refuse submission to the Roman Pontiff and/or refuse communion with the Bishops (and the rest of the Church) who are in communion with and obedient to the Pope.

Saint Paul’s warning to the Galatians that they must not follow a different gospel applies to Bishop Strickland, whose version of the Gospel is a distortion of the ancient and constant teaching of the Church on salvation, on the charisms of the Roman Pontiff, and on the indefectibility of the Church.

“Christ established One Church—the Catholic Church—and, therefore, only the Catholic Church provides the fullness of Christ’s truth and the authentic path to His salvation for all of us.

“The Eucharist and all the sacraments are divinely instituted, not developed by man. The Eucharist is truly Christ’s Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, and to receive Him in Communion unworthily (i.e. in a state of grave, unrepentant sin) is a devastating sacrilege for the individual and for the Church. (1 Cor 11:27-29)

“The Sacrament of Matrimony is instituted by God. Through Natural Law, God has established marriage as between one man and one woman faithful to each other for life and open to children. Humanity has no right or true ability to redefine marriage.”

The above words of Bishop Strickland can be interpreted in an orthodox manner. But he presents these expressions as a way to oppose Pope Francis and the body of Bishops. On reception of Communion, see my recent post refuting the types of false claims against Pope Francis to which Bishop Strickland refers. On marriage, many authors have refuted the accusations against Pope Francis stemming from Amoris Laetitia and the Pope’s decisions to permit some remarried couples to possibly receive Communion. This lenient and merciful discipline does not deny the essential nature of marriage, nor does it contradict the teaching of the Church or specifically the Council of Trent on reception of Communion.

On salvation, the expression “Outside the Church, No Salvation” is only orthodox if “the Church” is interpreted broadly, including all persons in the state of grace who are not baptized Christians. Salvation cannot be limited to Catholics or Christians, as Pope Saint John Paul II taught in Redemptoris Missio n. 10. So we see that the words of Bishop Strickland might be gravely erroneous, if these words accuse Pope Francis of grave error, or if he intends a certain meaning, contrary to the recent teachings of the Church.

“Every human person is created in the image and likeness of God, male or female, and all people should be helped to discover their true identities as children of God, and not supported in a disordered attempt to reject their undeniable biological and God-given identity.

“Sexual activity outside marriage is always gravely sinful and cannot be condoned, blessed, or deemed permissible by any authority inside the Church.

There’s nothing wrong with the above expressions. But Pope Francis has not taught anything contrary to those truths.

“The belief that all men and women will be saved regardless of how they live their lives (a concept commonly referred to as universalism) is false and is dangerous, as it contradicts what Jesus tells us repeatedly in the Gospel. Jesus says we must “deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him.” (Matt 16:24) He has given us the way, through His grace, to victory over sin and death through repentance and sacramental confession. It is essential that we embrace the joy and hope, as well as the freedom, that come from repentance and humbly confessing our sins. Through repentance and sacramental confession, every battle with temptation and sin can be a small victory that leads us to embrace the great victory that Christ has won for us.”

Is Bishop Strickland accusing Pope Francis or the body of Bishops with him of the above referenced grave errors? If so, it is a false accusation.

“In order to follow Jesus Christ, we must willingly choose to take up our cross instead of attempting to avoid the cross and suffering that Our Lord offers to each of us individually in our daily lives. The mystery of redemptive suffering—i.e. suffering that Our Lord allows us to experience and accept in this world and then offer back to Him in union with His suffering—humbles us, purifies us, and draws us deeper into the joy of a life lived in Christ. That is not to say that we must enjoy or seek out suffering, but if we are united to Christ, as we experience our daily sufferings we can find the hope and joy that exist amidst the suffering and persevere to the end in all our suffering. (cf. 2 Tim 4:6-8)”

The above teaching is consistent with Church teaching in every age. I should also point out, though, that some opponents of Pope Francis portray their situation of manifestly persevering in obstinate opposition to the Pope, the body of Bishops, as well as recent Popes and Councils, as a type of carrying their Cross in imitation of Christ — which it is not.
[1 Peter]
{4:14} If you are reproached for the name of Christ, you will be blessed, because that which is of the honor, glory, and power of God, and that which is of his Spirit, rests upon you.
{4:15} But let none of you suffer for being a murderer, or a thief, or a slanderer, or one who covets what belongs to another.
{4:16} But if one of you suffers for being a Christian, he should not be ashamed. Instead, he should glorify God in that name.
{4:17} For it is time that judgment begin at the house of God. And if it is first from us, what shall be the end of those who do not believe the Gospel of God?
{4:18} And if the just man will scarcely be saved, where will the impious and the sinner appear?
{4:19} Therefore, too, let those who suffer according to the will of God commend their souls by good deeds to the faithful Creator.

Suffering for doing evil, such as Catholics who reject the teachings of Popes and Councils, is not salvific. Rather, it is like the suffering of a thief or slanderer; it is like the suffering of one who covets the authority of the Pope and the body of Bishops.

“In the weeks and months ahead, many of these truths will be examined as part of the Synod on Synodality. We must hold fast to these truths and be wary of any attempts to present an alternative to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, or to push for a faith that speaks of dialogue and brotherhood, while attempting to remove the fatherhood of God. When we seek to innovate upon what God in His great mercy has given us, we find ourselves upon treacherous ground. The surest footing we can find is to remain firmly upon the perennial teachings of the faith.”

Now the veil is drawn back from the previous expressions of Bishop Strickland. He is now explicitly referencing the Synod led by Pope Francis and in which Bishops throughout the world are participating, with many other members of the clergy along with the religious and laity. Like other opponents of Pope Francis, Strickland is rejecting any and all decisions of the Pope and the body of Bishops in the Synod which might disagree with his own interpretation of Tradition, Scripture, and past magisterial teachings. The decisions of the Pope and the body of Bishops on doctrine or discipline is not “treacherous ground”, but rather an exercise of the authority of Christ, given to them by Christ, in the Holy Spirit. Then what Strickland calls “the perennial teachings of the faith” are merely his own interpretations, apart from the Pope and the body of Bishops.

To reject the decisions of the Pope and the body of Bishops, in a Synod, in advance, is to reject in principle the authority of the successor of Peter and the successors of the other Apostles. It is schism to say that you will reject what the Pope and Bishops say, if it falls outside your own understanding. To believe only in one’s own ideas is not faith in Christ, but rather the idolatry of self.

“Regrettably, it may be that some will label as schismatics those who disagree with the changes being proposed. Be assured, however, that no one who remains firmly upon the plumb line of our Catholic faith is a schismatic. We must remain unabashedly and truly Catholic, regardless of what may be brought forth. We must be aware also that it is not leaving the Church to stand firm against these proposed changes. As St. Peter said, “Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (Jn 6:68) Therefore, standing firm does not mean we are seeking to leave the Church. Instead, those who would propose changes to that which cannot be changed seek to commandeer Christ’s Church, and they are indeed the true schismatics.”

The “changes being proposed” refers to future decisions of the Pope and the body of Bishops in a Synod of the Church. Strickland is anticipating decisions of the Synod contrary to what he claims are truths of the Deposit of Faith. He anticipates being called schismatic. It is quite severe for a Bishop to tell the faithful, in advance, that they should reject any teachings of the Pope and Bishops on important matters of faith and morals (as he already outlined on salvation, the Eucharist, marriage, etc.) if those teachings contradict the understanding of himself, one Bishop.

Bishop Strickland is contradicting Canon law, which also represents, in this case, the constant teaching of the Church on what the faithful are to believe:

Can. 750 §1. A person must believe with divine and Catholic faith all those things contained in the word of God, written or handed on, that is, in the one deposit of faith entrusted to the Church, and at the same time proposed as divinely revealed either by the solemn magisterium of the Church or by its ordinary and universal magisterium which is manifested by the common adherence of the Christian faithful under the leadership of the sacred magisterium; therefore all are bound to avoid any doctrines whatsoever contrary to them.

§2. Each and every thing which is proposed definitively by the magisterium of the Church concerning the doctrine of faith and morals, that is, each and every thing which is required to safeguard reverently and to expound faithfully the same deposit of faith, is also to be firm-ly embraced and retained; therefore, one who rejects those propositions which are to be held definitively is opposed to the doctrine of the Catholic Church.

Can. 751 Heresy is the obstinate denial or obstinate doubt after the reception of baptism of some truth which is to be believed by divine and Catholic faith; apostasy is the total repudiation of the Christian faith; schism is the refusal of submission to the Supreme Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him.

Can. 752 Although not an assent of faith, a religious submission of the intellect and will must be given to a doctrine which the Supreme Pontiff or the college of bishops declares concerning faith or morals when they exercise the authentic magisterium, even if they do not intend to proclaim it by definitive act; therefore, the Christian faithful are to take care to avoid those things which do not agree with it.

Bishop Strickland wrote: “Instead, those who would propose changes to that which cannot be changed seek to commandeer Christ’s Church, and they are indeed the true schismatics.”

Here Strickland accuses the Pope and the body of Bishops — in advance in case they might teach anything contrary to Strickland’s own understanding of “that which cannot be changed” — of being schismatics. This is contrary to the very definition of schism as quoted above from Canon law. It is not schism for the Pope and the body of Bishops to disagree with one or a few Bishops who oppose the Pope. Those who remain with the Pope are not in schism. The idea that the Pope and most Bishops are the ones in schism is absurd; such an accusation against the Pope and Bishops constitutes schism in itself. If you claim that the Pope and Bishops are in schism, this implies that you are not in submission to the Pope nor in communion with the Bishops who follow him.

Also, the Lord Jesus Christ gave His own authority to Peter and his successors and to the successors of the other Apostles. So the Pope and Bishops do not “seek to commandeer Christ’s Church” — they are authorized by Christ in the Holy Spirit to command Christ’s Church. It is Strickland and his ilk who seek to commandeer Christ’s Church by telling the faithful not to believe anything the Pope and Bishops might teach contrary to Strickland’s understanding — as if Strickland were infallible and indefectible.

“I urge you, my sons and daughters in Christ, that now is the time to make sure you stand firmly upon the Catholic faith of the ages. We were all created to seek the Way, the Truth and the Life, and in this modern age of confusion, the true path is the one that is illuminated by the light of Jesus Christ, for Truth has a face and indeed it is His face. Be assured that He will not abandon His Bride.”

“I remain your humble father and servant,
Most Reverend Joseph E. Strickland
Bishop of Tyler”

Since Christ will not abandon His Bride, we can never stand in opposition to the Pope and the body of Bishops led by the Pope. Since Christ will not abandon His Bride, the Lord will never permit the Pope or the body of Bishops led by him to teach grave error. And the charism of truth and never-failing faith given to every Pope further prevents any Pope from departing from the true Faith, as Strickland claims is possible.

Strickland is claiming that the true Way of Christ is that illuminated by Strickland himself, as if error and truth were defined by a self-exalting lone Bishop, rather than by the successors of Peter and the other apostles teaching with the authority and charisms given to them by Christ.

Beloved children of God, believe the teachings of Christ and His Vicar; believe the teachings of the successors of the Apostles, led by the successors of Peter. Do not believe a claimed gospel taught by a very small number of Bishops who oppose Peter and his successors.

Ronald L Conte Jr