PUERTO IGUAZÚ, Argentina (LifeSiteNews) — An Argentine bishop close to a prominent critic of Pope Francis will reportedly be subjected to a “fraternal visit” launched by the Vatican due to alleged concerns about the “pastoral governance” of his diocese.
According to the Spanish-language outlet InfoVaticana, Bishop Nicolás Baisi of the Diocese of Puerto Iguazú “has been notified by the Dicastery for Bishops that in December, he will receive a fraternal visit as a result of some news received by the Holy See questioning the pastoral governance of the diocese.”
The “fraternal visit” will be overseen by Bishop Jorge Enrique Concha Cayuqueo of Temuco, Chile, InfoVaticana journalist Carlos Esteban reports.
Bishop Baisi used to serve as an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of La Plata under Archbishop Hector Aguer, who has become an outspoken critic of his fellow Argentinians running the Vatican, Pope Francis and Cardinal Víctor Fernández, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Esteban speculates that Bishop Baisi’s relationship with Archbishop Aguer and the fact that he does not support the heterodox “program” coming out of the Vatican during the Francis pontificate may be reasons for the visitation. He furthermore states it is not “unjustified to suspect” that the bishop might suffer a similar fate as Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas.
READ: Pope Francis personally removes America’s Bishop Joseph Strickland
Francis has recently shown a willingness to harshly punish his critics, as evidenced by the shocking removal of Bishop Strickland and by reportedly moving to take away the Vatican accommodation and salary of Cardinal Raymond Burke. The latter story, which LifeSiteNews reported on November 27, has recently been affirmed by the Associated Press.
In his latest essay, dated November 28, Archbishop Aguer alluded to the fact that Francis persecutes traditional bishops and priests all over the world, including in his home country.
“The authoritarian progressivism of Rome is imitated all over the world, as it is here in Argentina, where the cancellation of priests faithful to Tradition takes place in several dioceses,” he wrote.
“The Pope does not cease to inflict harm,” the archbishop continued. “His Jesuit and Argentine duplicity inspires his worst decisions. Now he is also going after bishops, dismissing Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas, trying to neutralize the best among the successors of the apostles by imposing a coadjutor or sending an apostolic visitation.”
READ: Pope Francis limits powers of orthodox French bishop known for supporting Latin Mass
“Here in Argentina he took out the excellent bishop of San Luis and replaced him with a progressive who blesses ‘in the name of the Father and the Holy Spirit,’ bypassing the eternal Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, so as not to annoy the non-Christians who attend his ‘ecumenical’ events.”
“The number of canceled priests is growing in Argentina due to an insignificant episcopate’s submissiveness to Francis while it impassively watches the de-Christianization of society unfold,” Archbishop Aguer stated.
The prelate also offered a message of hope at the end of his essay, stating that the future of the Catholic Church will be bright because of young Catholics faithful to Tradition.
“I must recognize a paradoxical fact that shows its mysterious character: the growth of some parishes faithful to Tradition, where Catholics, especially young people, enjoy a normal liturgy and are open to a devout participation in the Eucharistic Sacrifice,” he said.
“By ‘normal’ I mean without strange features, as it should be and not how it usually is amid the opaque mediocrity of the progressivism imposed by the postconciliar fantasy. The existence of this fact strengthens our hope in ecclesial recovery. The intercession of the Mother of the Church, whom we confidently invoke, will protect Her.”