Bishop Strickland Goes to War With Pope Francis

Bishop Joseph Strickland, a firebrand who has frequently railed against what he has described as "woke" values, has urged fellow members of the clergy to ignore a declaration from the Vatican that blessing same-sex couples should be allowed.

In a document released on Monday, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez mooted the "possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples without officially validating their status or changing in any way the Church's perennial teaching on marriage."

He wrote that the document had been discussed with and approved by Pope Francis, who had previously urged members of the clergy not to "lose pastoral charity, which should permeate all our decisions and attitudes" and to avoid being "judges who only deny, reject, and exclude."

While the Catholic Church regards same-sex relationships as a sin, the current pope has been viewed as one of the more progressive leaders of the faith. During his tenure, he has suggested that even atheists could go to heaven and that he did not judge homosexuals, as well as taking a softer stance on abortions and remarriage.

"We really simply need to be a united voice saying 'no, we will not respond to this, we will not incorporate this into the life of the church,' because we simply must say no," Strickland told LifeSiteNews, a conservative Catholic outlet, in response to the document.

"I ask my brother bishops that we all join with a voice of strength and joy in these last days of advent and say no to this latest document and ask for a clarification of the true teachings of our Catholic faith," he added.

Newsweek reached out to the Vatican via email for comment on Tuesday.

Strickland is currently without an official flock after the Vatican removed him from the Diocese of Tyler, Texas's governance in November and appointed another cleric.

It came after a rare formal investigation into the diocese. While the Vatican gave no reason for the investigation, it came after the outspoken bishop made a series of social media posts criticizing Pope Francis.

Strickland has also been outspoken on culture war issues such as LGBTQ+ inclusion and abortion.

Strickland later said that one of the reasons for his removal was his refusal to implement a 2021 restriction by Pope Francis on celebrating the old Latin Mass. He said at the time: "I stand by all the things that were listed as complaints against me."

The decision to fire the vocal bishop sparked an immediate outcry and led thousands to sign a petition backing him. But over 20,000 people have since signed a petition thanking Pope Francis for removing Strickland, describing it as "a positive step forward."

Immediately following his removal, a march in Tyler was organized by a group sympathetic to the bishop. Strickland urged the procession to be "respectful."

In August, Pope Francis called out the "backwardness" of some Catholic conservatives in the United States, arguing they had replaced faith with political ideology.