Pope Francis sacks firebrand US bishop Joseph Strickland who criticised him
- Strickland, a fierce critic of the pontiff, had rejected the pope’s ‘programme undermining the Deposit of Faith’
- It is very rare for a Roman Catholic bishop to be relieved of his duties outright
It is very rare for a Roman Catholic bishop to be relieved of his duties outright. Usually bishops in trouble with the Vatican are asked to resign before submitting a resignation, which the pope accepts.
Popes make such moves, considered drastic, when a bishop refuses a request to resign. Strickland is 65, 10 years shy of the usual retirement age for bishops.
Strickland, a prolific user of social media who had been bishop of the diocese since 2012, tweeted earlier this year that he rejected the pope’s “programme undermining the Deposit of Faith”.
He has been particularly critical of the pope’s attempt to make the Church more welcoming to the LGBT community and attempts by Francis to give lay people more responsibility in the Church and opposed a recent synod.
In a blog posted on his website in September, the bishop addressed rumours that he was being encouraged by the Vatican to step down.