Texas Bishop Joseph Strickland Speaks Out About His Removal by Pope Francis

‘I encourage those upset or confused by the development to pray for the pope and not to leave the Church,’ he said.

Bishop Joseph Strickland walks in front of a reliquary bearing the bones of Saint Maria Goretti, dubbed "The Little Saint of Great Mercy," into the sanctuary at Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Tyler, Texas, on Nov. 2, 2015. Andrew D. Brosig/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP

Bishop Joseph Strickland of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas, was forcibly removed from his office by Pope Francis on Saturday morning.

“They had the authority to remove me from diocesan governance, but I encourage those upset or confused by the development to pray for the pope and not to leave the Church,” Bishop Strickland wrote on Facebook on Monday morning.