But the Catholic Church's Code of Canon Law leaves Strickland little to no room to resist if the pontiff demands his resignation, several prominent canon lawyers told NCR.

Canon law makes it clear that the pope has "supreme, full, immediate, and universal ordinary power" in the Catholic Church and that any final decree he issues is binding and cannot be appealed.

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There is speculation that Pope Francis may request his departure.

The recent developments came to light following a meeting between Pope Francis, Archbishop Robert Prevost - the Vatican's Dicastery for Bishops prefect, and Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the papal nuncio to the United States.

Among a range of alleged comments and actions Catholic news media report Strickland has

• accused Pope Francis of undermining the Catholic faith,
• endorsed videos labelling the current pontiff as a "diabolically disordered clown",
• undermined other bishops by expressing support for priests disciplined by their respective dioceses
• and most recently, in a public letter, predicted an unveiling of ‘true schismatics' at the forthcoming Synod of Bishops on synodality in Rome this October.

Despite the swirl of uncertainty, Strickland (pictured) has made it clear that he has received no formal communication from the Vatican and has no intention of voluntarily relinquishing his position.

The nature of their discussions is undisclosed but, according to The Pillar, sources suggest that Strickland's resignation was on the table.

However, the Vatican has not officially confirmed these claims, leaving room for speculation.

No information from Rome

The uncertainty surrounding Strickland's future follows an apostolic visitation to his diocese in June.

The visitation is a rare disciplinary investigation initiated by the Holy See.

It follows a November 2021 incident in which Archbishop Pierre privately reprimanded Strickland during a US Conference of Catholic Bishops meeting.

When reached for comment, Strickland expressed his unawareness of any formal resignation request from the Vatican.

He asserted, "I have received no information on this from Rome."

Furthermore, Strickland indicated his determination to hold his position, even in the face of a potential papal request, citing his commitment to the mandate given to him by Pope Benedict XVI.

"As a basic principle, I cannot resign the mandate given to me by Pope Benedict the XVI," Strickland wrote.

"Of course, that mandate can be rescinded by Pope Francis, but I cannot voluntarily abandon the flock that I have been given charge of as a successor of the apostles."

Canon lawyer John Beal, a Catholic University of America professor, clarified that a pope has the authority to remove a bishop against the bishop's will. However, there is no prescribed procedure for such an action.

Beal also noted that bishops who fall out of favour with the pope often see their authority diminished through creative means.

Strickland's critics have called for his removal, but many fear that his significant online following could lead to continued influence.

"I believe the fear is that, if he's removed, his visibility will be amplified," Massimo Faggioli, a professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University, told RNS earlier this year.

Sources

Religion News Service

The Pillar

CathNews New Zealand

"The letter of resignation I have written after prayerful reflection and consultation with my superiors was accepted by our dear Pope Francis today," Mulakkal announced in a social media message on June 1.

The Vatican removed Mulakkal from the administrative responsibilities of the diocese based in northern Punjab state just before police arrested him in 2018 on charges of raping a nun.

The nun, a member of the Missionaries of Jesus congregation under the patronage of the bishop, accused him of raping her more than 13 times between 2014 and 2016 inside her convent in Kerala's Kottayam district.

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In a personal statement, Bode said that his decision to resign had "matured in me in recent months," and he hoped that his departure would have a liberating effect on the diocese.

Abuse survivor groups have accused Bode of failing to respond appropriately to some cases of abuse, according to the German news agency dpa.

Bode explained that an interim report released in September on abuse by clergy in the diocese had revealed his mistakes.

Bode acknowledged his responsibility as a bishop and said, "Today, I can only ask all those affected again for forgiveness".

The 72-year-old bishop had been vice president of the German bishops' conference since 2017 and played a key role in the German Synodal Way.

The head of the German Bishops' Conference, Bishop Georg Bätzing, issued a statement noting Bode's resignation with "great regret and respect".

With his resignation, Bode "also takes responsibility for the topic of sexual abuse in the church, which has accompanied ... all of us for a long time," Bätzing said.

A church-commissioned report on sexual abuse inside the Catholic Church in Germany in 2018 said clergy abused 3,677 people between 1946 and 2014.

More than half the victims were 13 or younger, and most were boys. Every sixth case involved rape, and at least 1,670 clergy were involved.

The report said that in the first decades of his term, Bode "repeatedly" kept people accused of abuse in office or appointed them to other positions, including management tasks in youth pastoral care.

Other prominent German bishops accused

Irme Stetter-Karp, the president of the Central Committee of German Catholics, expressed respect for Bode's decision.

"His resignation from office certainly marks an important step from the point of view of those affected, in order to make real progress in dealing with the abuse scandal," she said.

In a statement published on Saturday, Bode said: "In the almost 32 years of my episcopal ministry, almost 28 of them as bishop of Osnabrück, I have borne responsibility in a church that has not only brought blessings but also guilt."

He admitted that "Especially in dealing with cases of sexualised violence by clergy, for a long time I myself tended to focus more on the perpetrators and the institution than on the victims. I misjudged cases, often acted hesitantly, made many wrong decisions and failed to live up to my responsibility as a bishop".

In addition to Bode, several other prominent German bishops have been accused of mishandling cases of sexual abuse.

They include Synodal Way initiator Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Synodal Way president Bishop Georg Bätzing and Hamburg's Archbishop Heße.

All of them have so far remained in office.

The pope has not yet responded to a resignation request from Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki who also was accused of mishandling sexual abuse cases.

Sources

AP News

Catholic News Agency

Bishop Valerio Lazzeri was in charge of the Diocese of Lugano in Switzerland since 2013.

During a press conference Monday afternoon, he said: "Sincerity and complete transparency compel me to tell you that, especially in the last two years, an inner fatigue has grown in me that has gradually deprived me of the momentum and serenity needed to lead the Church of Lugano."

Lazzeri added: "The public aspects, the representation, the financial and administrative management, have become unbearable for me, despite the valuable presence of collaborators to whom my gratitude is due."

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Archbishop Antony Kariyil, the vicar of the major archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese in southern Kerala state, expressed willingness to resign on July 26, six days after he was summoned to the Vatican nunciature in New Delhi.

The nuncio issued a letter asking him to immediately tender his resignation, said archdiocesan officials from the eastern rite Syro-Malabar Church.

Archbishop Kariyil initially refused as no valid reason was cited for his resignation. However, officials added that he handed over a letter to the nuncio seeking to apprise Pope Francis about the developments.

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Bishop Daniel Fernández Torres, who has led the Diocese of Arecibo since 2010, said he had been asked to resign because he "had not been obedient to the pope nor had I been in sufficient communion with my brother bishops of Puerto Rico."

The Vatican announced the decision to remove Torres from the office without providing an explanation.

The Vatican's brief announcement added only that the pope had asked 79-year-old Bishop Álvaro Corrada del Río, retired head of the neighbouring Diocese of Mayagüez, to serve as apostolic administrator.

Bishop Fernández, in a statement posted on the diocesan website March 9, said, "I feel blessed to suffer persecution and slander for proclaiming the truth."

In the statement, Fernández told the faithful of the diocese "It is not for me to explain to you a decision that I cannot explain to myself. Although I accept it with the patience of Christ for the good of the church.

"No process has been made against me, nor have I been formally accused of anything. Simply one day, the apostolic delegate [the pope's representative in Puerto Rico] verbally communicated to me that Rome was asking me to resign.

"A successor of the apostles is now being replaced without even undertaking what would be a due canonical process to remove a parish priest.

"It was suggested to me that if I resigned from the diocese, I would remain at the service of the Church in case at some time I was needed in some other position. This offer in fact proves my innocence.

"However, I did not resign because I did not want to become an accomplice of a totally unjust action and that even now I am reluctant to think that it could happen in our Church."

Bishop Fernández has long defended the traditional family and its values, but his views have often conflicted with other leaders in the Church.

Fernández publicly distanced himself from the position of the president of the Puerto Rican bishops' conference when he opposed a bill that would have banned "conversion therapy" for homosexuals.

Recently, he has gained publicity for his support of people who conscientiously objected to the COVID-19 vaccine. This is despite the Puerto Rican government requiring many people in healthcare and the public sector to be vaccinated.

Bishop Fernández' statement concluded that he reaffirmed "my communion in the Catholic faith, with the pope and with my brothers in the episcopate. All this despite my perplexity in the face of an incomprehensible arbitrariness."

Sources

National Catholic Reporter

Catholic News Agency

A statement released overnight by the Holy See read, "The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Broome, Australia, presented by Bishop Christopher Alan Saunders".

Saunders' departure ends a nearly three-year period of turmoil within the diocese.

The 71-year-old Bishop's final 18 months in office have been marred by controversy and questions over his conduct.

He voluntarily stood aside in March last year after Kimberley Priest John Purnell went public with his concerns over the Church's lack of action on allegations of sexual misconduct against Saunders.

Saunders strenuously denied any wrongdoing and WA Police decided not to proceed with criminal charges after an extended investigation ended in May this year.

The Vatican began its own inquiry into Saunders' administration of the diocese, led by former Bishop of Wollongong Peter Ingham, and chose to send Saunders on a six-month sabbatical outside of the Kimberley.

Bishop Ingham's investigation focused on financial practices, and Saunders' management of staff, including allegations of bullying. It did not concern the allegations of sexual misconduct.

The findings of Ingham's investigation were submitted to the Holy See last year but were not made public.

Catholic Professional Standards were alerted to the allegations against Saunders within days of them being reported to WA Police in October 2018.

However, the Church chose not to take action until March last year, just hours before news reports of the police investigation were due to go to air.

The slow process left police and some diocese staff privately appalled the Church had allowed the bishop to remain physically present in Kimberley. Nevertheless, he continued to preside at mass and other religious services.

Six of the dioceses' 12 parish priests have departed since the allegations were made public. This has left many key positions vacant.

Former Kimberley priest Matt Digges, who served under Saunders for more than two decades, said the process highlighted the need for the Church to significantly reform its protocols for how it responds to allegations against senior clerics.

"It has shown that the church is lacking in oversight, mentorship and regulation of its most critical leaders, it's bishops," Mr Digges told the ABC earlier this year.

In June, Broome Monsignor Paul Boyers told Broome church-goers that the investigation was ongoing.

The resignation of the Australian bishop has thrown the future of the investigation into doubt.

Sources

• ABC
• Catholic News Agency

Pope Francis, who accepted the resignation of the 54-year-old prelate on Saturday, appointed his predecessor, Mgr Lin Chi-nan Wood, as apostolic administrator.

The news took the diocese by surprise. Bishop Lee was ordained and installed only on 1 January. Born and raised in the community of Tainan, he was appointed on 14 November.

The local diocese covers a territory with a population of almost 2 million people, including 7,500 Catholics.

In a letter to the diocese, Bishop Lee explains his decision by saying that he had "psychological and physical problems."

"After long prayers under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I humbly accept that I have a serious health problem," he writes, adding that he chose to resign "for the good of the diocese."

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