Commentary by Br. Alexis Bugnolo
This appears to be a leak from Catholic canonists.
Pope Francis’s move against Bishop Strickland will put Cardinal Burke in the Papal Throne after the next conclave, if Strickland stands firm
All I can say at this moment, is that the Bishop has every right to resist the move — and Fr. Z agrees. He would be a fool to resign. You cannot discipline a bishop for being Catholic and outspoken, or because he has staffing problems. But there might be more to this story that is being reported. As for Veritas Splendor, that scandal broke a few years ago, and not being a man of the world, he was clearly fooled by unscrupulous individuals to put his reputation on the line for them. But it does not appear that led to any financial risk by the Diocese.
The strongest counter move the Bishop could do right now is run a GoFundMe and raise about $10,000,000, because it is clear that this is a move to shake him down and create an excuse to silence him for criticizing so many in the hierarchy who are utter moral failures and openly comport themselves as “functionally not catholic” as Pope Benedict XVI said in his posthumous book.
But the real power move on Strickland’s part would be to call for a Council to discuss the disagreements. If the Vatican removes Strickland and he fights, the Vatican risks a major schism in the Catholic Church in the USA and abroad, since millions could leave communion with the Apostolic See, if led by a man with such a strong reputation, in the face of such a despicable and backstabbing character as sits on the Apostolic Throne.
From the point of view of dynamics, that would be the worse thing for Mafia of St. Gallen, because in the next conclave the Cardinals would be nearly constrained to elect Cardinal Burke, the American Cardinal, to heal the schism. — And if Strickland realizes this, he will be a pit-bull in this fight.
And if Strickland calls Pope Francis’ bluff, the power Bergoglio has used to terrorize everyone in the Church in the last 10 years will be seen for what it is, a paper tiger. While Bergoglio’s reaction will show his true and deepest colors, as he is known, here at Rome, for flying into the most vitrolic and profane rages when opposed.
From a civil law point of view, it is my understanding that a Bishop, in the USA, controls all the assets of the diocese and cannot be forced by the Vatican to resign from that legal entity, since there is no concordat between the US government and the Vatican about such matters.
From a point of view of the Catholics in the United States, there has already begun a tidal wave on all social media platforms in support for Bishop Strickland. So, any action against him will likely have a glacial effect on donations to the Vatican and to those dioceses whose bishops take the Pope’s side. The Faithful in the USA have had enough in the last 10 years with Bergoglio”s constant divisive Marxist rants against them. With the upcoming election, they are ready for war. And they are already seeing this as a ploy by Pope Francis to grant Biden the head of Strickland on a plate. So if Francis wants war, he will most certainly get it in bucket-loads.
(As a historical note: there were quite a few Medieval Popes who indiscreetly annoyed powerful nations of France, Germany or Spain, and ended up badly for it, because they did their own will and not the Lord’s.)
Brother, have you sent this very article to the Bishop?
I scarcely have time to publish and reply to comments, nor do I have the email list of the Bishop. That’s for my readers to do. I cannot do everything.
I apologise if I sounded demanding. I am trying to find his email with no success so far and I am not in the US to make a phone call to the office. I just didn’t want to send it to him, if you had already done so.
I think your advice here is so good, I’d love him to take it.
Louise, no offense taken.
My friend keeps telling me about obedience. I replied that no one can be blindly obedient. She replied that she agrees in cases of morality and teaching saying that this is not one of teaching. She reminded me that Padre Pio’s superiors denied him from celebrating public mass. He clearly obeyed and God made him a saint. God is always working we all know that. My best guess is that Bishop Strickland is staying close to Him and Our Lady. They will tell him what to do and whatever he does we will know it is of God.
Padre Pio was under a vow of obedience. 99.99% of Catholics are not, unless you consider that by marriage vows a wife must obey her husband.
Isn’t Bishop Strickland of the lineage of Rampolla? If Trump and Bolsonaro purposely lost the elections because they are both masons and betrayed their voters, could this be similar theatre in the Church?
It is not my intention to be disrespectful of Bishop Strickland but there is so much theatre nowadays, that I wonder if this is part of it.
Strickland traces back to Cardinal De Lai, whose twin co-consecrators were in the Rampolla lineage. Strickland’s co consecrators: one traces back to De Lai, and the other to Cardinal Pompilj, who consecrated Archbishop Lefebvre a deacon, and who was most likely also a Rampolla agent since both his co onsecrators trace back to Rampolla. But Strickland may have chosen his consecrators thus: his principal consecrator, because he was the Bishop of his diocese, one co consecrator because he was a priest of the same diocese, and the other, because he was the adjacent Arcbishiop. Texas is controlled by the Rampolla House. Even Bishop Gracida has a co consecrator of that lineage.