Following Pope Francis' announcement Saturday that Bishop Joseph Strickland would be removed from his duties in the diocese of Tyler, Texas, Bishop Athanasius Schneider, auxiliary bishop of Saint Mary in Astana, Kazakhstan, released a statement accusing the Vatican of taking part in a "purge" of traditionalists.
The statement posted on X reads that "the one charge which is now sure to secure severe punishment is the careful keeping of the traditions of the Fathers," a quote from St. Basil that Schneider said could be applied to the removal of Strickland from his post.
"The deposition of Bishop Joseph E. Strickland signifies a black day for the Catholic Church of our day," Schneider wrote, calling it a "blatant injustice" toward a bishop who preached and defended the Catholic faith.
"All understand, and even the declared enemies of this Confessor Bishop, that the accusations brought against him are ultimately insubstantial and disproportionate and were used as a welcome opportunity to silence an uncomfortable prophetic voice within the Church," Schneider continued.
Schneider then compared Strickland's deposition to what happened to the bishops during the Arian crisis in the 4th century, when they were "deposed and exiled only because they intrepidly preached the traditional Catholic faith," saying that this is happening today as well. Meanwhile, "several Bishops, who publicly support heresy, liturgical abuses, gender ideology and openly invite their priests to bless same-sex couples, are not in the least importuned or sanctioned by the Holy See."
However, unlike other persecuted priests, such as St. Athanasius, who was deposed by Roman emperors in the 4th century, Strickland "is not being persecuted by a secular power, but incredibly by the Pope himself," Schneider said, adding that there seems to be a "purge" of bishops "faithful to the immutable Catholic Faith and the Apostolic discipline."
The statement ends with a plea to Strickland, as well as to other faithful bishops asked to resign, to ask Pope Francis why he is deposing them, as well as to affirm that "indeed, we are your best friends, Most Holy Father!"