The bishop emeritus echoed the words of Deacon Nick Donnelly, saying 'it is more scandalous to not call out the corruption in the Church than to be quiet about it.'
The former Apostolic Nuncio was excommunicated on Friday for statements denouncing the pope and the Second Vatican Council while others who have gone against Church teaching remain in 'good standing.'
In an open letter to the faithful, Bishop Strickland spoke about his removal from the Diocese of Tyler and urged Catholics to 'stand resolutely at the cross' while the Church 'undergoes her Passion.'
'We are also concerned that Bishop Strickland was removed because he would not implement Pope Francis' cruel and unjust Latin Mass restrictions, which are currently causing enormous hurt and confusion among Catholics,' the Arlington Latin Mass Society's Noah Peters said.
An anonymous priest of the Society of St. Pius X told LifeSite that Cardinal Christophe Pierre’s remarks exhibit an off-the-charts levels of cognitive dissonance as modern seminaries are floundering compared to their traditional counterparts.
‘Our Lord will judge us, not those who abuse their power to destroy the Church and persecute Her good Pastors,’ Archbishop Viganò said in an X post about Bishop Strickland.
No one knows the character and ministry of Bishop Joseph E. Strickland like the Catholic faithful of this diocese. He has been in our homes, faithfully preached the gospel to us, baptized our children, corrected us when necessary, and buried our dead for as long as many can remember.
Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the United States, extended a formal invitation to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to participate in the March 25 consecration.