Add your nameFiring Bishop Strickland was a step toward love and inclusivity

Posted: Nov. 13, 2023

Huge and welcome news: Pope Francis has removed Bishop Joseph Strickland from his diocese in Tyler, Texas.

Although being forced to remove a bishop who won't resign is incredibly rare and almost never an easy thing to do, this action is wonderful news for truth, equality, and our work together for a more inclusive and loving church.

Bishop Strickland is a notoriously election-denying, QAnon-spreading, Francis-bashing, vaccine-rejecting, LGBTQ-hating, division-sowing, fire-breathing darling of right-wing Twitter. His agenda went beyond far-right culture wars to full-blown Christian nationalism, even appearing at a "Stop the Steal" MAGA event.

Faithful America has served as a Christian witness against Bishop Strickland's abuse of power, arrogance, and conspiracy theories for years, placing him on our inaugural False Prophets list in 2022 and launching a massive petition to support the investigation that led to his ousting.

Now it's time to celebrate a positive step forward. Pope Francis is living out his World Youth Day call for "Todos, todos, todos!" (Everyone, everyone, everyone!") by removing a bishop who actively fights against letting the church welcome everyone. Let's show the pope that grassroots Catholics and other ecumenical American Christians support him in this bold decision!

Sign the petition:

To His Holiness, Pope Francis,

As grassroots Catholics and fellow Christians who belong to the ecumenical organization Faithful America, we thank you for removing Bishop Joseph Strickland from his role in the Diocese of Tyler, Texas.

We are sure it is difficult and painful to be forced to remove a bishop, but like your recent meeting with Sister Jeannine Gramick and your inclusion of women, lay voices, and prophetic leaders like Father James Martin in the synod, we see this act as a commitment to your call for "todos, todos, todos!"

We know that you are striving to build a more inclusive church, including removing Bishop Strickland from his diocesan role. We applaud these efforts, and we pray for you.

Thank you, again, for your commitment to pastoral, Christ-like love, dignity, and justice.

(CC: His Eminence Cardinal Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States of America)

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