On Saturday, Pope Francis took the step of removing Bishop Joseph Strickland from his role in the pastoral governance of the diocese of Tyler, Texas.

The Pope appointed Bishop Joe Vásquez of Austin to serve as a temporary administrator in Strickland’s place, as reported by The Vatican News.

Strickland, aged 65, has emerged as a vocal critic of Pope Francis in recent months, expressing his discontent on platforms such as X (formerly known as Twitter), The Hill reported.

Earlier this year, he asserted that the pontiff is “undermining the deposit of faith.”

In a noteworthy incident from 2020, Strickland characterized the church as “weak” and “not clear” and openly challenged the pontiff to dismiss him, according to The National Catholic Reporter (NCR).

Written by B.C. Begley