Pope Francis fires anti-LGBTQ+ MAGA bishop. Eventually, even the Pope can get fed up.

Pope Francis fires anti-LGBTQ+ MAGA bishop

Eventually, even the Pope can get fed up.

By Bill Browning Monday, November 13, 2023

Pope Francis has dismissed a Texas bishop who has become a leading voice in the post-Trump far-right movement. The rare and dramatic move was taken after a Vatican inquiry into his behavior.

A darling of the uber-MAGA crowd and the religious right, Bishop Joseph Strickland was fired after being asked to resign earlier in the week. He refused.

The Vatican says transgender people can be baptized, contradicting U.S. bishops The head of the Catholic Church also discussed whether LGBTQ+ people can become godparents.

Strickland had become one of the leading critics of the Pontiff, declaring that the Pope was too liberal on issues like LGBTQ+ people, divorce, and the role of women in the church. He also took umbrage at a Vatican decision that mass should be held in a country’s native language instead of Latin.

After the Pope had been asked repeatedly about the role of LGB

TQ+ people in the church and how much they should be accepted, he said it was a “travesty” that the questions were even being asked.

With a large social media following, a radio show, and frequent appearances in conservative media, the former bishop regularly spent as much time denigrating the Pope as he did attempting to save souls.

Last year, he accused the Pope of attempting to undermine the Catholic faith on his radio show. He supposedly quoted “an anonymous friend” who accused the Pope of being a “usurper” who has “endangered souls by proclaiming that they are justified before God as they are, with no need of repentance.”

“How can you leave him in office after that?” Rev. Timothy Kelly, the pastor of Holy Spirit Catholic Church in the former bishop’s East Texas diocese, asked. “You can’t.”

After the decision to sack the viciously anti-LGBTQ+ church leader was announced, the apostate theme was picked up by other far-right media.

“What if a man were to want to be pope not to build up the body of Christ but to divide the body of Christ?” conservative podcaster Taylor Marshall asked during a live broadcast shortly after the announcement.

The decision doesn’t mean that Strickland will quietly disappear or lose influence inside the religious right movement. He has more Twitter followers than parishioners in the sparsely populated but massively conservative portion of Texas that he led. The area is one of the most anti-LGBTQ+ in the nation and voted overwhelmingly in favor of former president Donald Trump.

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JB COMMENYS: The church has never been known for its pro LGBT stance and it has demonised the LGBT community since it began its global quest for religious dominance above all others - and it is about time it came into the 21st century or be left behind. Sacking these errant anti LGBT Bishops is the right step forward and ex communicating where possible to stop the spread of their hate filled message - as after all - are they not suppose to be teaching God's love ???

The world is headed for a really tough time ahead with wars being fought over white supremacy - Christian right wing advocates damning and destroying not just anything LGBT but anything and everything they personally do not like - ( so I suppose that means the end of Marmite then... ) With Muslims waging wars around the planet for dominance of the human soul and with so many people - Karen's - the woke community - The Trumpers ; - and the world is headed for a mighty fall where good people are to be hounded and destroyed and I warn you, trouble is brewing for the future and the UK is not out of the firing line.

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