TORONTO (LifeSiteNews) — A group of Ontario Catholics gathered Monday to publicly pray for Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas, as he undergoes an investigation by the Vatican.
On July 10, Catholics held a prayer rally at the Pontifical Mission Office in Scarborough, Ontario, to pray for faithful bishops, especially Bishop Strickland, who received an apostolic visit from the Vatican in what some have speculated to be a result of his outspoken criticism of Pope Francis.
“We appreciate Bishop Strickland’s efforts to defend the faith in a very vocal way both in the Church and society,” event organizer Mercedes Rodriguez told LifeSiteNews.
“We wanted to do the same for him because we believe that he follows Jesus unlike some other members of the clergy and we are worried for him as we wait the result of the Visitation from the Curia,” she added.
The group of four Catholics held signs of faithful clergymen, including Cardinal Raymond Burke, Cardinal Robert Sarah, Bishop Athanasius Schneider, and Strickland, all of whom are well-known for their defense of Catholic doctrine.
In June, Strickland received an apostolic visitation from the Vatican. While the reason for the visit is not clear, it is speculated to be, in part, a response to his outspoken criticism of the Church’s leadership under Francis.
The apostolic visitation was reportedly carried out by two retired bishops, Gerald Kicanas and Dennis Sullivan. Sources say they questioned diocese employees for a week.
Among the bishop’s so-called controversial stances are his urging of Francis to deny Holy Communion to former U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi over her support of legal abortion, his accusing the pope of “undermining the Deposit of Faith,” and his condemning of pro-homosexual “blasphemy” from heretical Jesuit priest James Martin.
He has also been forcefully outspoken on moral controversies in U.S. politics and culture, including the Biden administration’s spying on Catholics, public displays by self-described “Satanic” groups, and most recently speaking at a protest of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team for hosting an anti-Catholic drag queen troupe called the “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence,” which styles themselves as grotesque nuns.
“We hope that he keeps his post so that he can go on serving his diocese and representing us,” Rodriguez declared. “He is an inspirational and courageous leader in the current fight for our faith both inside and outside the Church.”
“We are all concerned about the increasing relativism in the Church and are upset to see our princes like Cardinal [Joseph] Zen, Cardinal Burke and others suppressed and oppressed,” she added.
“It’s bad enough society has increasing evils and so-called Catholic state leaders are making bad laws,” she continued. “We don’t need our Church princes cancelled as well. We know the gates of hell won’t prevail, but we need to do our part.”