28 Facts About Joseph Strickland

Joseph Edward Strickland was born on October 31,1958 and is an American Bishop of the Catholic Church who served as Bishop of Tyler from 2012 until his removal by Pope Francis in 2023.

Joseph Strickland was born on October 31,1958, in Fredericksburg, Texas.

Joseph Strickland's service included periods at Sacred Heart Parish in Nacogdoches, Texas and St Michael Parish in Mt.

In 1992, Joseph Strickland was assigned by Bishop Edmond Carmody to study canon law at Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, where he earned a Licentiate of Canon Law in 1994.

Joseph Strickland served as apostolic administrator of the diocese from March 2000 until January 2001 when Alvaro Corrada del Rio was installed as the new bishop.

Joseph Strickland served in that capacity until being named as a delegate of the apostolic administrator upon Corrada's 2011 departure to become Bishop of Mayaguez in Puerto Rico.

Joseph Strickland was appointed as bishop of the Diocese of Tyler by Pope Benedict XVI on September 29,2012, and was consecrated on November 28,2012, at Caldwell Auditorium in Tyler.

Joseph Strickland was the first native Texan to head the 33-county diocese.

On July 8,2022, Joseph Strickland reposted on Twitter a video from the traditionalist Catholic newspaper The Remnant, that was fiercely critical of Pope Francis.

In May 2023, Joseph Strickland accused Francis of having a "program of undermining the Deposit of Faith".

The Pillar in June 2023 reported that Joseph Strickland had been subject to an apostolic visitation.

One anonymous priest said the visitation was focused around "governance issues" of Joseph Strickland's diocese, including the early removal of finance officers, rather than Joseph Strickland's views on Francis.

On October 31,2023, at the Rome Life Forum of LifeSiteNews, Joseph Strickland read out a letter that he attributed to a "friend".

Joseph Strickland then claimed that Francis backed an "attack on the sacred".

The Dicastery for Bishops, after an investigation into "all aspects of [his] governance and leadership" concluded "the continuation in office of Bishop Joseph Strickland was not feasible", and recommended that Joseph Strickland be asked to resign.

On November 9,2023, Joseph Strickland was asked to resign, but refused.

Joseph Strickland encouraged Catholics upset by the decision to pray for Francis and remain members of the church.

On November 4,2012, days before the 2012 United States presidential election, Joseph Strickland led a public rally and prayer service in Tyler asking the faithful to turn toward God before the election.

In March 2025, Joseph Strickland published an open letter to President Trump, asking him to end "the indiscriminate killing of civilians" in Gaza and US military strikes in Yemen.

Joseph Strickland argued both conflicts violate just war theory and are leading to "untold humanitarian consequences".

Bishop Joseph Strickland stated that he found Archbishop Vigano's allegations "credible".

Bishop Joseph Strickland instructed his followers to publicly distribute the allegations.

In January 2020, after meeting with Pope Francis, Bishop Joseph Strickland said he never agreed with Archbishop Vigano's call for the pope's resignation.

Joseph Strickland stated that he was satisfied with the Vatican's investigation of former Cardinal McCarrick.

Joseph Strickland then challenged Pope Francis to "go ahead and fire me" for this comment.

In May 2020, Joseph Strickland signed a petition released by Vigano that criticized government restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Joseph Strickland celebrated the Tridentine Mass for the first time June 2020, describing it as reverent and beautiful.

Joseph Strickland encouraged Catholics to attend mass in that form of the Roman rite, and encouraged Catholics attached to the Tridentine Mass to attend the Mass of Paul VI, which he said could be celebrated reverently.