It is rare for the pope to remove a bishop from office. The Vatican said it asked Strickland to resign Thursday, but he declined, prompting Francis to remove him from office two days later.

“This is total war,” Matt wrote on social media. “Francis is a clear and present danger not only to Catholics the world over but also to the whole world itself.”

This reminds me of the South Park ep where Bill Donahue steals the pontiff because the pope isn’t extreme enough.

In comments to Portuguese Jesuits in August, Francis blasted the “backwardness” of these conservative bishops, saying they had replaced faith with ideology and that a correct understanding of Catholic doctrine allows for change over time.

Wow, for once, I actually sorta like the pope.

Strickland backed Vigano’s conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic, and on Saturday Vigano wrote that Strickland’s ouster showed a “cowardly form of authoritarianism” by Francis. “This affair will reveal who stands with the true Church of Christ and who chooses to stand with His declared enemies,” Vigano wrote on X.

Again, this is that South Park ep.

    • @some_guy@lemmy.sdf.orgOPEnglish
      4•1 year ago

      In September Woelki met with Pope Francis and offered his resignation, which the pope declined to accept, instead granting his request for a six-month leave for spiritual reflection.

      Sounds like a cop paid-vacation for harming people.