Pope Francis ousts critic Bishop Strickland, appoints Austin's bishop to Diocese of Tyler

Joe S. Vasquez, Austin's Roman Catholic bishop, was appointed as the apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Tyler by Pope Francis on Saturday after the pontiff forcibly removed Bishop Joseph E. Strickland from his post in Northeast Texas, according to the Vatican.

Strickland, a conservative prelate active on social media, has been a fierce critic of the pope and has come to symbolize the polarization within the U.S. Catholic hierarchy. A one-line statement from the Vatican said Francis had “relieved” Bishop Joseph Strickland of the pastoral governance of Tyler and appointed the bishop of Austin as the temporary administrator.

Strickland, 65, has been particularly critical of Francis’ recent meeting on the future of the Catholic Church during which hot-button issues were discussed, including women in governance roles and ways to better welcome LGBTQ+ Catholics. In a tweet earlier this year, Strickland accused the pope of “undermining the deposit of faith."

It is rare for the pope to forcibly remove a bishop from office. Bishops are required to offer to resign when they reach 75. When the Vatican uncovers issues with governance or other problems that require a bishop to leave office before then, the Vatican usually seeks to pressure him to resign for the good of his diocese and the church.

Earlier this year, the Vatican sent in investigators to look into Strickland's governance of the diocese, amid reports he was making doctrinally unorthodox claims. The Vatican never released the findings, but on Thursday it asked Strickland to resign. The bishop declined, prompting Francis to remove him from office two days later.

Strickland's firing sparked an immediate outcry among some conservatives and traditionalists who had held up Strickland as a leading point of Catholic reference to counter Francis’ progressive reforms. Michael J. Matt, editor of the traditionalist newspaper The Remnant, wrote that, with the firing, Francis was “actively trying to bury fidelity to the Church of Jesus Christ.”

'I accept the Holy Father’s trust in me'

Vasquez, who is the Diocese of Austin's fifth Bishop, said in a statement Saturday that over the next few weeks he'll be traveling to Tyler to assess that diocese's needs.

"I accept the Holy Father’s trust in me and ask your prayers as I take on this additional responsibility," he said of the diocese in Northeast Texas that covers 33 counties and has 54 parishes and 14 missions.

Vasquez will remain bishop in Austin while he oversees the Diocese of Tyler. In Austin, Vasquez represents over 700,000 Catholics across 25 counties in Central Texas.

"Know that I remain present to you as your Bishop, in person, in prayer, and through the Vicar General and other officials of the Diocese of Austin," he said.

Before joining the Austin diocese on March 8, 2010, Vasquez served as the auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston from 2002 and 2010.

He is currently a consultant to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' committee on pro-life activities and is the lead bishop for Region X for the V National Encounter for Hispanic/Latino Ministry.

Before his time as bishop, Vasquez — who was born on July 9, 1957, in Stamford, about 40 miles north of Abilene — held several leadership roles in the Diocese of San Angelo: associate pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Odessa from 1985 to 1987; pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Fort Stockton from 1987 to 1997; and pastor of St. Joseph Parish in San Angelo from 1997 to 2002.

During his time in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Vasquez served as vicar general/chancellor and oversaw the administrative operations of the largest diocese in Texas and the 11th largest diocese in the nation, according to the bishop's biography. He also served as the episcopal vicar for Hispanics and as the liaison for youth.

Vasquez studied theology at the University of St. Thomas in Houston from 1976 to 1980. He then attended Gregorian University, North American College in Rome from 1980 to 1985, and was ordained as a priest for the Diocese of San Angelo on June 30, 1984.

Additional reporting by Andy Sevilla and The Associated Press.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Pope Francis ousts Texas Bishop, names Austin bishop to Tyler diocese