On June 18, Bishop Joseph Strickland released a public statement sharply criticizing Leo’s appointment of Bishop Shane Mackinlay as Archbishop of Brisbane. Once the bishop of Tyler, Texas, and among the most vocal defenders of orthodoxy in the U.S. episcopate, Strickland was removed by Rome last year under Francis without formal charges, trial, or due process. And yet here he is, still speaking plainly.
Strickland’s tone is respectful, but firm. He calls the appointment a source of “scandal and division.” He reiterates the Church’s definitive teaching that Holy Orders, diaconate included, cannot be conferred on women. And he warns that Bishop Mackinlay has publicly entertained this forbidden idea, which would fundamentally alter the Church’s sacramental structure.
The bishop now promoted to Archbishop of Brisbane has not only expressed openness to female deacons, but previously placed a statue of a Hindu goddess in his cathedral. Strickland’s concern is the kind that arises when men who openly question doctrine are given jurisdiction over millions of souls.
Strickland is not alone in raising concerns. But he is nearly alone in saying them out loud.
Bishop Mackinlay is not an outlier. He is the latest in a growing list of bishops elevated under Leo XIV who openly defy Catholic tradition. Earlier this year, Leo appointed Fr. Christoph Casetti, a priest from Lucerne who had expressed support for women’s ordination, to lead the Diocese of St. Gallen, Switzerland. Casetti had recently promoted “open discussion” on ordaining women.
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