According to multiple sources, the controversial bishop faces Vatican sanction for challenging Pope Francis' papal authority.

Strickland (pictured), is known for his conservative views and provocative statements.

He has drawn criticism for various issues, including support for unvaccinated priests and participating in events leading up to the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol.

Recently, on Twitter, Strickland said he believes the pontiff is "undermining the Deposit of Faith."

His efforts have inspired some detractors to call for Strickland's resignation, while others have urged Vatican intervention.

The Vatican's displeasure with Strickland was revealed during a Terry and Jesse Show broadcast, where co-host Terry Barber recounted an alleged encounter between Strickland and Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the Vatican's US ambassador (Apostolic Nuncio).

The Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Christoph Pierre is said to have approached Strickland at a US Conference of Catholic Bishops gathering.

According to Barber, Pierre "wagged his finger" at Strickland while saying, "Bishop Strickland, we're watching you — stop talking about the deposit of faith."

"(Strickland) doesn't really care," Barber said of the alleged encounter.

"It's the truth that sets us free. If he goes down because he's speaking the truth, oh well."

Dressing down appears to have had little effect

According to one anonymous source, the confrontation occurred in November 2021 at the USCCB meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, where the nuncio addressed Strickland's controversial Twitter feed, including posts opposing COVID-19 vaccines.

Asked about the encounter via email this week, Strickland said he would "prefer not to comment."

The nuncio's office did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Barber said he did not wish to speak further about the incident and would not name the source of his information.

Instead, he criticised Pope Francis, accusing him of being ambiguous about critical moral questions and calling the pontiff a "disaster for the Catholic Church."

Despite the Nuncio's alleged dressing-down aimed at discouraging Strickland's controversial behaviour, it appears to have had little effect.

Since the 2021 meeting, Strickland has continued challenging the authority and rhetoric of church officials, including the Pope.

Sources

Religion News

CathNews New Zealand

"We have seen many of our brothers and sisters leave the church disillusioned, thinking that Christ is not the answer to their quest for happiness and meaning," he said on April 26 at The Catholic University of America in Washington.

"We experience on a daily basis the hardships of living out the faith in the face of a society which is increasingly secularized and polarized. The temptation to remain stuck in the past is real; the path forward is often difficult to discern and discouragement can set in," Pierre said.

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The bishops' choice of new leadership revealed the deeper ecclesiological orientation of the body. They had to decide if they wanted to be a part of the ongoing reception of the Second Vatican Council in the context of the magisterium of Pope Francis, or not, a choice made all the more obvious by the success of the synodal process so far.

As papal nuncio Archbishop Christophe Pierre reminded them in his opening address, the bishops govern the church "cum Petro and sub Petro," with Peter and under Peter. They forgot that law, or ignored it, 30 minutes later.

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In a 30 minute address during the two-day US bishops' general assembly, Archbishop Christophe Pierre spoke about synodality, abortion, racism and the Eucharist. He also emphasised the importance of listening to people in the church and being open to the work of the Holy Spirit.

For the bishops, he said, the synodality process should start at home by listening to each other. "The church needs this attentive listening now more than ever if she is to overcome the polarisation facing this country," he said.

"I believe that synodality is an answer to the challenges of our time and to the confrontation, which is threatening to divide this country, and which also has its echoes in the church," Archbishop Pierre said.

On abortion, Pierre said that the church "should be unapologetically pro-life". He stressed the need to look at causes and factors that lead women to seek abortions and then to reach out in practical ways to mothers in need.

Regarding the Eucharist, Pierre said people can have theological ideas about the Eucharist, which are important. But "none of these ideas compare with the reality of the eucharistic mystery, which needs to be discovered and rediscovered through the practical experience of the church, living in communion, particularly in this time of pandemic."

He also noted that there is "the temptation to treat the Eucharist as something to be offered to the privileged few rather than to seek to walk with those whose theology or discipleship is falling short. And assisting them to understand and appreciate the gift of the Eucharist, and helping them to overcome their difficulties."

During the general assembly, the US bishops voted to adopt a document about Holy Communion and who should receive the sacrament.

The vote was 222 to 8, with three abstentions.

It is an issue that was in part inspired by President Biden's election. Mr Biden, a devout Catholic, supports the right of women to have an abortion, which the Catholic Church opposes.

Rather than imposing a mandatory national policy, the document offers guidelines, so decisions about who may receive Communion will be left up to individual bishops and archbishops. Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the archbishop of Washington, has clarified that Mr Biden is welcome to receive Communion at churches in the archdiocese.

Archbishop Pierre in his conclusion noted, "We will emerge from the present crises together," he said, "as the church Christ has called us to be."

Sources

• America Magazine
• CBS News

Older catholics will remember that Pierre served as the secretary at the Nunciature in New Zealand.

He came to New Zealand in 1977. It was his first appointment after he joined the Vatican's diplomatic service.

A polyglot, he speaks English and Spanish fluently. He is "a pastor", known for his "humility and simplicity" and is "excellent on all fronts", a source who knows him well confided.

A fellow nuncio described him as "a thoughtful, hardworking man", and "good listener" with "a great sense of fairness and balanced judgment."

Gifted with a good sense of humor and a deep voice, the new nuncio can captivate an audience.

According to The Vision, Uganda's leading daily, he is a man who goes among the people, is ready to help anyone regardless of status.

Born in Rennes, France on January 30, 1946, he spent the greater part of his childhood and early education in Africa, mainly in Madagascar, with some years in Malawi, Zimbabwe and one in Morocco.

He entered the seminary of Saint-Yves in Rennes at the age of 17, but interrupted his studies to do his two-years of military service (1965-'66).

Source

• lastampa.it
  
• Image:4.bp.blogspot.com

The Jesuit news organization America and longtime Vatican reporter Sandro Magister said Thursday that they expect Pierre will be appointed the Apostolic Nuncio, though the Holy See has not yet announced its choice for the position.

Pierre, 70, who was born in France, speaks fluent English and has served the Catholic Church as a diplomat all over the world, dating to 1977, America reported. His most recent job — following terms as nuncio to Uganda and Haiti — is nuncio to Mexico.

In moving from Mexico to the United States, he might bring to Washington an emphasis on immigration issues, particularly at the U.S.-Mexico border where Pope Francis recently visited to offer a prayer.

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