East Texas pastor speaks on pope’s removal of Tyler bishop Strickland

HOLLY LAKE RANCH, Texas (KLTV) - An East Texas pastor has shared his thoughts after Pope Francis ordered the removal of a Tyler bishop.

Bishop Joseph Strickland, an outspoken conservative, has been a frequent critic of Pope Francis and his priorities. Most recently, Strickland criticized Pope Francis’ closed-door debate on making the Catholic church more welcoming. Topics included women in governance roles and welcoming LGBTQ+ Catholics. Strickland called it a “travesty” that those topics were even on the table for discussion.

On Saturday, Father Tim Kelly of the Holy Spirit Church in Holly Lake Ranch said this issue is a matter of respect.

“The issue here is not about Tim Kelly or Joe Strickland. The issue is we are Roman Catholics. A Catholic never speaks ill of the pope in public. You can say what you want over a cup of coffee, a priest or a lay person, but the pope is not Joe Biden or Donald Trump or whatever. The pope is a sacred person chosen by the cardinals to succeed to the throne of St. Peter.”

Earlier this year, the Vatican launched an investigation into Biship Strickland’s governance of the diocese amid reports he was making unorthodox claims. The findings of that investigation have not been released. Strickland reportedly said he would not resign voluntarily.

We reached out to Bishop Strickland on Saturday for comment, but he said he could not speak with us at that time.

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