The emeritus bishop of Tyler, Joseph Strickland, published on November 14 a message addressed to Pope Leo XIV, the Roman Curia, and the entire episcopate. The prelate denounces what he considers a growing complacency of the hierarchy regarding liturgical abuses, pastoral omissions, and doctrinal ambiguities that—according to him—are “scandalizing the little ones” and weakening the fidelity of the faithful. His intervention, published on the X network, comes a day after his silence at the USCCB assembly, where he assures that he should have pronounced these words.
Frontal criticism of the hierarchy for the treatment of liturgy, morals, and discipline
In his message, Strickland openly asks Pope Leo XIV and the bishops “how long will you continue serving two masters”, citing the passage from 1 Kings 18,21. The prelate accuses the hierarchy of tolerating irreverent liturgies, allowing the presence of couples in irregular situations without an explicit call to conversion, ignoring the effects of uncontrolled migration on local populations, and maintaining a pastoral attitude that oscillates between political correctness and doctrinal confusion.
Strickland maintains that many bishops “have inflicted harm on the little ones” through liturgical practices that, in his view, trivialize the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. He asserts that turning the liturgy into an “ornament” or a platform for messages contrary to the faith erodes the reverence due to worship and feeds disorientation among the faithful. He also criticizes that certain public acts of blessing or welcome are presented as gestures of inclusion, while—according to him—they avoid addressing the call to repentance and change of life.
Warning about uncontrolled immigration and the risk of minimizing moral truth
The emeritus bishop also addresses the migration issue, insisting that the evangelical mandate to welcome the stranger cannot become a justification for ignoring the social and human effects of what he describes as a “law of the jungle” situation. He denounces the lack of attention to the victims, both those who migrate and those who see their communities altered, and reproaches some prelates for using ambiguous moral language that confuses hospitality with permissiveness.
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Strickland maintains that these pastoral omissions, added to the silence regarding liturgical abuses and doctrinal disorders, generate bewilderment among the faithful and feed a perception of distance between the hierarchy and the real concerns of the people of God.
Call to conversion and pastoral clarity
Far from limiting himself to denouncing, Strickland asserts that the situation can only be reversed through a determined return to Jesus Christ as Lord and to the clear preaching of moral truth. He insists that the Church must reject the “depravity of the world” and bring the light of the Gospel to areas where confusion and moral law have weakened.
The bishop concludes with a direct call to the episcopate: “We must be shepherds”, emphasizing that the apostolic mission demands doctrinal clarity, liturgical reverence, and pastoral courage.
We leave below the full message of Msgr. Strickland published on X:
Dear Catholic faithful:
These words came to my mind upon waking up this morning. They are words I should have said to break the silence after my intervention at the USCCB meeting. Now I say them to Pope Leo, to the bishops, and to all who claim to be disciples of Jesus Christ.
“How long will you serve two masters? If you believe that Christ is the Lord, follow Him! If the world is your master, go to it! But do not profane His sanctuary any longer while you betray the Cross.”
Bishops, STOP playing! STOP lying. STOP turning a blind eye to the little ones! There is a huge reserve of millstones ready to be distributed among you. One for Pope Leo, a truckload for the Vatican Curia, and freighters full for the vast majority of today’s successors of the apostles.
How dare I say these words, how dare I judge these princes of the Church? No, brothers, HOW DARE YOU inflict harm on the little ones again and again?
You harm the little ones when you turn the Sacred Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Holy Mass, into a toy, into a bargaining chip for your worldly intrigues, into a platform to spew heresies and flirt with the world.
You harm the little ones when you welcome couples trapped in sin, who flaunt their sad disordered lives, and instead of calling them to repentance in Jesus Christ, you chat with them about trivialities and are applauded for being so kind. You even welcome them into the sacred sanctuary and cover the manure of their sin with a veil of blessing.
You harm the little ones when you spend hours in meetings discussing this word or that phrase, while the world plunges them deeper into darkness and despair. The little ones cry out: “Where is the hope?”, and they are ignored.
You harm the little ones when you promote illegality and turn a blind eye to violations, murders, and attacks by infamous criminals who cross open borders freely. Some of the little ones are caught up in these mass migrations and are trampled in their search for a better life. Some of the little ones see their homes and towns invaded when pastors say “we must welcome the stranger” and then allow looters and criminals to roam freely.
We all must seek Jesus Christ as Lord and heed His call to repentance. We must say no to the depravities of the world and bring the light of truth to all the dark corners of the world. We must say no to the anarchy that turns a blind eye to sin. We must believe that Jesus Christ is the Lord.
We must be shepherds.