Pope Francis may soon ask Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas, to resign, according to a report in The Pillar.
The Pope met on September 9 with Archbishop Robert Prevost, the prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops; and Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the papal nuncio to the US, to discuss Bishop Strickland’s situation, Pillar reports. (Both Archbishops Prevost and Pierre will become members of the College of Cardinals at the consistory later this month.)
Citing a “senior official close to the dicastery,” Pillar said that the meeting was devoted to the results of an apostolic visitation of the Tyler diocese, and would likely result in a request for Bishop Strickland’s resignation.
While the apostolic visitation looked into complaints about mismanagement in the diocese, Bishop Strickland has become prominent because of his unabashed criticism of Pope Francis, in particular his statement that “I reject his program for undermining the Deposit of Faith.”