Pope Picks Partisan For DC Post — One Conservative Bishop Is Having None Of It

Bishop Strickland pulled no punches when weighing in on the Pope’s appointment of a rabid partisan to a high-profile post in DC.

It’s not just secular society that has been locked in a culture war. There’s been a parallel fight within denominations of the church — including the Catholic church. This is just the latest example.

The rise of Pope Francis has been seen as a sharp turn to the left, especially when contrasted to the legacies of those before him, especially Pope John Paul II whose role in bringing the Soviet Union to an end is often mentioned in the same breath as President Ronald Reagan and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

His public stands and statements have frequently raised alarm to theological conservatives who hold to traditional teachings, AND to political critics who accuse him of being nearly a communist. It doesn’t help any that his sharpest criticisms seem to be reserved for the West, and he seems to have a WHOLE lot to say about American domestic policy in particular, ranging from environmental policy to economic policy and especially, border policy.

That last point in particular seemed to be one of the considerations in Pope Francis’s 2025 appointment to the role of Archbishop in DC.

Pope Francis on Monday named Cardinal Robert McElroy of San Diego as the archbishop of Washington, tapping one of his most progressively like-minded allies to head the Catholic Church in the U.S. capital at the start of Donald Trump’s second administration.
At a press conference, McElroy said he prayed the incoming administration would work to make America a better place. But he also identified Trump’s threats of mass deportations of immigrants as a point of potential conflict, saying such policies were “incompatible with Catholic doctrine.”
McElroy, 70, replaces the retiring Cardinal Wilton Gregory, who steps down after having navigated the archdiocese through the fallout of the 2018 eruption of the clergy sexual abuse crisis. — AP

Before anyone mistakes McElroy’s position for that of the entire church, here’s the reaction of Bishop Strickland as given in a tweet.

In November I asked the bishops of the United States, “What will it take?”. It’s not surprising that I received no response from the bishops. The appointment of the corrupt Cardinal McElroy to the Archdiocese of Washington DC raises the question again.

The blatant corruption of Pope Francis and the US Cardinals is on full display with the appointment of a McCarrick clone to the same archdiocese where his evil reigned twenty years ago. All of us who love Jesus Christ and His Church must speak out against these wolves of the hierarchy. We cannot remain silent in the face of this blatant corruption.

Once again I call on my brother bishops to speak up and say NO to this constant undermining of the Truth that is Jesus Christ. We all need the voice of St John the Baptist as we call out the brood of vipers in the Vatican, “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” We must not remain silent as another flock in the Church is burdened with a corrupt hireling for a shepherd.

Speaking of John the Baptist, our own Doug Giles had something to say about him and his relevance even to this generation.

John The Baptist: A Rude Awakening Precedes A Great Awakening.

This timely little tome chronicles the politically incorrect ministry of one of God’s most effective wildmen, John the Baptist, who prepared the way for Christ’s ministry.

The abrasive message of repentance John preached 2000 years ago is still confrontational and offensive today — but it is also life-changing.

In our putrid, worldly culture that has turned away from God, this book is a must-read for every Christian.

Available in paperback for those of you who like the feel of the pages in your hot, little hands, on Kindle to keep it right at your fingertips, and as an epic Audiobook.