Why would Pope Leo appoint a bishop whose record is openly celebrated by those who reject the Church’s moral teachings?
With the appointment of Fr. Thomas Hennen, bishop-elect, as bishop of Baker, Oregon, we face a troubling reality: instead of correcting the trajectory set by Pope Francis, Pope Leo XIV is doubling down on it – deepening the ambiguity that has plagued the Church.
Fr. Hennen is not merely a well-meaning pastor – he was intimately involved in drafting pastoral guidelines that blur the clear lines of Catholic teaching on sexuality and gender. His work with Davenport’s LGBTQ+ directive may carry the veneer of welcoming language, but in substance it echoes the rhetorical strategies of gender ideology, undermining Catholic clarity and weakening the call to chastity. When who we are as men and women becomes negotiable, the Gospel becomes negotiable.
This doctrinal smokescreen is the hallmark of the Lavender Mafia – a clandestine network within the Church hierarchy that protects and advances a homosexual ideology while masquerading under the banner of compassion. It gained unprecedented influence during the Francis era: from the explicit approval of same-sex blessings to episcopal cover-ups. Its tentacles now reach into the Leo papacy, and Fr. Hennen’s appointment is proof.
Continue reading at Bishop Strickland’s Substack
NOTE: Bishop Strickland has made a subsequent post to this column.