Bishop Strickland's Follow-Up on Bishop Elect Thomas Hennen

A number of Pope Leo's appointments are concerning. One addressed by Bishop Joseph Strickland is Bishop Elect Thomas Hennen to the diocese of Baker. Strickland recently tweeted:

@Hennen, bishop-elect, as bishop of Baker...instead of correcting...Francis, Pope Leo XIV is doubling down on it...Hennen...work with Davenport’s LGBTQ+ directive...Fiducia Supplicans green-lighted blessings same-sex unions...No more more blessings without conversion.

An article followed. Here's the beginning:

Some will cry “too harsh” but enough is enough… 

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....

I urge you to read the whole thing. Apparently, some folks took issue with Bishop Strickland's article so he elaborated: 

Follow-up to my Statement on Bishop-elect Hennen

Many faithful Catholics have expressed concern over my recent comments regarding Pope Leo XIV’s appointment of Fr. Thomas Hennen as Bishop-elect of Baker. I write now not to backtrack, but to clarify and deepen what must be said – for the sake of the flock and for the integrity of the Church.

A bishop is a shepherd, yes – but also a watchman. And if the watchman sounds the alarm only once the wolves are already among the sheep, many souls will be devoured. The shepherd’s call must go out when the wolves are still circling – even when they wear friendly faces or familiar collars. [Read more...]

The wolves are indeed circling and are already gobbling up those whose disordered sex lives are leading them on the fast route to hell. There's nothing pastoral about that!

I remember reading about a lesbian who repented and turned to Christ when her mother said, "I'm afraid after I die I will never see you again." Hell is forever. It would do all of us well to remember that. God bless Bishop Strickland for blowing the warning trumpet. Too few of our spiritual fathers do that. Why not? No doubt human respect and fear that people will zip up their wallets. Too many priests have been disciplined for daring to speak the hard truth. The laity can fall into that trap as well. 

 Of course we always need to speak in charity, but speak we must. Think of the terror of hearing Christ say, "I put this soul in your path so that you could throw out a life preserver and you walked away." May we be a source of salvation for many by our example and our fearless defense of the truth.