Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 6, 2023 / 11:53 am
Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas, on Tuesday issued a pastoral letter stating that the Catholic Church has “no authority whatsoever” to ordain female priests or deacons, a declaration the bishop said was meant to address potential discussions at the upcoming global synod.
The bishop issued the letter as a follow-up to his August pastoral document in which he warned of attempts to “present an alternative to the Gospel of Jesus Christ” and urged Catholics to “remain firmly upon the perennial teachings of the faith.”
In his September missive, Strickland reiterated that Christ “is the only path to everlasting life” and that “no other path to salvation can be found.” The bishop subsequently warned that some are attempting to “chip away or destroy altogether the Deposit of Faith” of the Catholic Church.
Noting that the ordination of women will “reportedly be a topic of discussion at the upcoming Synod on Synodality,” Strickland said that throughout the centuries the Church has always held that only men can be ordained to the priesthood.