Pope Francis Relieves Bishop Joseph Strickland of His Duties | EWTN News Nightly

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The US Conference of Bishops' Fall Assembly opens this week in Baltimore, and a controversial move by Pope Francis is threatening to overshadow the meetings. The Holy Father has ordered the removal of Bishop Joseph Strickland as the head of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas. The Vatican did not provide a reason for the ousting, but rather simply said that Pope Francis was "relieving him of his duties." The question is why. In June of this year, the Vatican launched a formal investigation, called an apostolic visitation into Bishop Strickland to examine all aspects of the governance and leadership in the diocese. Cardinal Daniel Dinardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston explained the outcome saying, "As a result of the visitation the recommendation was made to the Holy Father that the continuation in office of Bishop Strickland was not feasible. After months of careful consideration by the Dicastery for Bishops and the Holy Father, the decision was reached that the resignation of Bishop Strickland should be requested. Having been presented with that request on November 9, 2023, Bishop Strickland declined to resign from office." The findings of the apostolic visitation have not been published but many commentators are not convinced his dismissal is because of poor governance and parish management. EWTN News Vatican Correspondent, Colm Flynn has more. ------------ EWTN News Nightly provides the latest news and analysis from a Catholic perspective. Join host Tracy Sabol, our Capitol Hill, White House and Rome Correspondents, as well as many other diverse guests daily, to get the latest from the U.S. and the Vatican on topics regarding our Catholic faith and interests. ------------- EWTN News Nightly airs on EWTN weekdays at 6pm & 9pm ET. ------------ Don't miss an episode of EWTN New Nightly. Get updates here: https://www.ewtn.com/tv/shows/ewtn-news-nightly ------------- Sign up today to receive the EWTN News Nightly newsletter: https://www.ewtn.com/enn ------------- Follow EWTN News Nightly on Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ewtnnewsnightly Twitter: https://twitter.com/EWTNNewsNightly Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ewtnnewsnightly/ ------------- Subscribe to EWTN YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/EWTN ------------- You can support the EWTN News mission: https://bit.ly/3qDR1qf