And, unfortunately, much of the Episcopate worldwide is made up of craven cowards and increasingly Francis's modernist toadies and sycophants.
From LifeSiteNews
By Michael Haynes
Bp. Strickland renewed his criticism of trends within the Catholic Church, especially the Synod on Synodality, warning that 'many souls are being led astray.’
Bishop Joseph Strickland has warned of a “deliberate effort to undermine the unchanging truths of the Catholic faith from within the Church herself.”
“The silence of the shepherds in the face of injustice and the erosion of truth is serious,” said Strickland in a new interview published by Spanish outlet InfoVaticana.
Since being removed by the Pope as bishop of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas, in November 2023, Strickland has continued his characteristic outspoken commentary on the state of the Catholic Church and the faith. He has cited this style as leading to his removal from the Tyler see, commenting previously how he was asked to stop speaking about the “Deposit of Faith.”
“If my efforts to speak the truth with clarity and fidelity were seen as too ‘rigid’ or ‘divisive,’ I can only say I was striving to be faithful to Christ and His Church,” he told InfoVaticana, renewing prior explanations of his convictions.
Expanding on how he came to be such a lone voice in the U.S. episcopate, Strickland opined that “many bishops today are afraid to speak clearly – especially when that clarity might be seen as ‘divisive’ or contrary to prevailing trends in Rome. There is a real fear of being removed, marginalized, or punished.”
While admitting to understanding “that fear; it’s human,” Strickland nevertheless urged his fellow bishops to take a more determined stand:
But the episcopacy is not about self-preservation – it’s about laying down one’s life for the flock. If we fear losing our positions more than we fear offending God or failing His people, then we have lost our way.
The faithful are suffering from confusion and moral darkness. This is not a time for silence or ambiguity. It is a time for truth – spoken with charity, yes, but with courage and conviction. That is what the bishop’s office demands.
“Courage” as a bishop is not an optional extra, “it is a requirement,” he said.
Strickland has regularly published commentaries warning of dangers found in current movements within the Church, pointing especially to the Synod on Synodality but also to a number of elements of the current pontificate. The synod has been the subject of much controversy throughout its entire multi-year lifespan, not least because of its “listening” method of opening the floor for members to question established and unchanging Church teaching.
Referencing this, Strickland critiqued what he described as “the deliberate effort to undermine the unchanging truths of the Catholic faith from within the Church herself.”
The synod was being used as a means to usher in an overturning of the Church’s teaching, he argued:
We are witnessing a systematic dismantling of doctrine, liturgy, and moral teaching under the guise of “pastoral care,” “inclusivity,” or “synodality.” There is a growing hostility toward Tradition and those who defend it while confusion and error are allowed to spread unchecked – even by those in positions of highest authority.
The synod has been criticized by some for the attempt to implement its theme of “synodality” to become the new way of the Church’s life, while at the same time being so verbose and complex and engaged with by so few of the laity. Others still – particularly prelates like Cardinals Raymond Burke, Gerhard Müller – have additionally warned that the confusion of the synod is having a direct, negative impact on souls.
This concern Strickland has also made his own:
Many souls are being led astray, and the silence of so many bishops is deafening. This is not just a crisis of governance – it is a crisis of faith. The Church is being disfigured by ambiguity, compromise, and false mercy. What is at stake is nothing less than the salvation of souls. That must be our ultimate concern – and that is why I will not remain silent.
With its advertised focus on “listening” and openness, the synod has indeed become a vessel for activists to voice their arguments against various elements of Church teaching, while at the same time the Vatican has continued to implement the Pope’s wide-reaching restrictions on the traditional Mass. Strickland has also previously cited his reluctance to restrict the Latin Mass as precipitating his removal from the Diocese of Tyler.
This, he told InfoVaticana, “is definitely a double standard”:
Bishops and priests who uphold the perennial teachings of the Church – especially on faith, morals, and liturgy – are often treated with suspicion, monitored, or even removed. Meanwhile, those who openly question or contradict settled doctrine are rarely corrected, and some are even promoted. If synodality is truly about listening and walking together, then why are the voices of faithful Catholics so often dismissed or silenced?
Renewing his calls for Catholic clergy to be more vocal in their defense of the Church’s Tradition, Strickland reminded clerics that “every priest, bishop, and cardinal has a sacred duty to defend the truth – regardless of the cost.”
Much of the Church’s traditional teaching and practice is being sidelined, he warned, and it is a fact which Strickland opined that Catholic men and women are not ignorant of. “They see reverence and fidelity treated as problems, while confusion and moral compromise are tolerated or even encouraged.”
While a lack of practice of the faith and confusion was already a notable crisis under recent pontificates, statistics have shown that this has increased in the last 12 years, particularly as numbers of priestly vocations have fallen. Sources have noted how even more liberal leaning officials in the Roman Curia have been uncomfortable with how Francis has ushered in certain of his more controversial works, such as Fiducia Supplicans.
“I do believe we are living through one of the most polarizing pontificates in the history of the Church,” Strickland said of this situation.
But he also urged Catholics to return to the traditional practices of the Church to bolster their faith:
We are being tested, purified. God allows these trials for our sanctification. Remain faithful. Pray the Rosary daily. Stay close to Our Lady. Go to confession, adore our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, and study the faith. Hold fast to the truth, even when others abandon it. Remember, the Church has endured many storms – and she will endure this one, too. Our hope is in Christ, and He will never fail us.
Strickland also hosts a weekly show, A Shepherd’s Voice, co-sponsored by LifeSiteNews and which can be found HERE.
