Pope Francis removes Tyler’s Bishop Strickland

The canonically rare step follows an apostolic visitation of the Texas diocese in June.

In a canonically rare step, Pope Francis has removed Bishop Joseph Strickland as the Bishop of Tyler, Texas, the Vatican announced Saturday. 

The Holy See press office gave no reason for the decision but said in a Nov. 11 statement that Austin’s Bishop Joe Vásquez would serve as apostolic administrator of the diocese serving around 120,000 Catholics in e…