Bishop Strickland speaks out on apostolic visitation: ‘I’ve got nothing to hide’
During a Thursday episode of The Bishop Strickland Hour, hosted by Terry Barber of Virgin Most Powerful Radio, Bishop Strickland affirmed his resolve to endure “anything” to continue to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ.
“I’m no great theologian, I’m no great anything. But I am a great lover of Jesus Christ and His Church, and I’m willing to go through anything I have to to continue to proclaim that message,” the bishop of Tyler, Texas said.
“Because love for God’s people means we share the good news of Jesus Christ,” he added, referring to the visitation from the Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops, the reason for which has not been revealed.
Comparing the visit with “being called to the principal’s office,” Strickland confessed that being placed under the Vatican’s scrutiny is “not fun” but that he believes it is a result of his vocal witness to truth.
“No, it’s not something that I would volunteer for, to go through an apostolic visitation. Because it kind of puts a shadow over the diocese, [and] a lot of people are convinced that there’s something really wrong,” he told Barber.
“But I think that I went through this because I’ve been bold enough and love the Lord enough and His Church to simply keep preaching the truth.”
“And the sad thing is, too many are bringing a false message that is harmful to the world and the mystical Body of Christ that is the Church. But the false message will never prevail. It will never destroy the faith of people who know their faith and are strong in faith,” he continued.
Strickland lamented that “too many people … aren’t well catechized and are easily deluded by false Gospels.”
Barber weighed in, observing that “many people in the church,” including “high officials in the Vatican, do not want to hear the deposit of the faith, do not want to hear the perennial teachings of the Church.”
Barber told how he was essentially ousted from a national radio station he used to work for after a cardinal said he would not support the station unless certain commentators were removed, including Barber and Jesse Romero, who hosted the “Terry and Jesse Show.”
While many people saw the ouster as “horrible,” in retrospect, Barber sees it as “a blessing,” because it led to the launch of Virgin Most Powerful Radio.
“And we’re actually reaching more people this way,” Barber said.
In a similar vein, Strickland declared himself undeterred by any attempts to censor his proclamation of the truths of the Catholic faith, saying it is a “joy” to continue to “share the Good News of Jesus Christ.”
“I know they won’t stop you and they won’t stop me. And we do it with love, and charity and clarity, and with humility, always ready to be corrected. But when we’re speaking of the truth of Jesus Christ, there is no correction. The world can try and shout us down, but it won’t work.”
Strickland’s apostolic visitation was conducted by Bishop Dennis Sullivan of Camden, New Jersey, and former Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson, Arizona. Kicanas has a history of defending Catholic Relief Services (CRS)’s funding of major pro-abortion groups while he was head of the organization in 2012. He was also numbered among a group of bishops and cardinals who wanted to change the bishops’ voter guide to downplay abortion as a primary concern at the U.S. bishops’ conference in 2018.
Kicanas has been lambasted for his record on sex abuse. While he served as the rector of the Mundelein Seminary in Chicago, he allowed future child molester Father Daniel McCormick to be ordained despite allegations of sexual misconduct.
While the subject of Strickland’s visit is unknown, it’s speculated to concern various public statements that some Vatican officials consider “imprudent.”
Among the bishop’s stances have been urging Pope Francis to deny Holy Communion to former U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi over her support of legal abortion, accusing the Pope of a “program of undermining the Deposit of Faith,” and condemning pro-homosexuality “blasphemy” from Jesuit Fr. James Martin.
He has also been forcefully outspoken on moral controversies in U.S. politics and culture, including the Biden administration 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.
“I often say, we need to be first century Christians in the 21st century,” Strickland declared at that event. “Probably most of us will not be called on to shed our blood, but if we are, we need to be ready, like the martyrs. But more importantly, we need to live our martyrdom. We need to live as those ready to die and ready to live for the blood that was shed for us all.”
Bishop Strickland “ran to LA right from the bishops’ conference. He’s the bishop from Tyler who went to LA; the bishop from LA would not do a procession,” LifeSiteNews co-founder and editor-in-chief John-Henry Westen said at the protest. “Other bishops probably didn’t want him to go. You can imagine what they might have said to him at the bishops’ conference, yet he went anyway. He went to defend the faith from utter, utter sacrilege, from the most disgusting anti-Catholic hate group in America.”
“We need to pray tonight for Bishop Strickland,” Westen continued. “And for sanity in the Church because they are attacking the number-one bishop in America. In fact, there’s few bishops in the entire world that are more courageous, more faithful, and more in love with Jesus Christ than Bishop Strickland.”
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Bishop Strickland speaks out on apostolic visitation: ‘I’ve got nothing to hide’ - LifeSite