TYLER, Texas — In a newly released interview, ousted Diocese of Tyler Bishop Joseph Strickland is telling Catholic bishops to say "no" to Pope Francis' recent decision allowing priests to bless same-sex couples.
The pope removed Strickland as the bishop of Tyler on Nov. 11. Bishop Joe Vasquez, of Austin, was appointed as the apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Tyler.
On Monday, the Vatican announced Pope Francis formally approved giving Catholic priests the ability to bless same-sex unions.
In an exclusive interview with LifeSiteNews posted the same day, Strickland told the host Catholic leaders should "be a united voice saying no."
"We will not respond to this," Strickland said in the video statement. "We will not incorporate this into the life of the church because we simply must say no, and it needs to be a united voice."
He suggested that in history issues like the blessing of unions would warrant a pope calling for a council.
"That isn't likely to happen now but we need a united voice - something like a council to address the confusion and the issues that continually arise to know the truth of Jesus Christ that is unchanging," Strickland said. "I ask my brother bishops that we all join with a voice of strength and joy in the Lord in these last days of Advent and say no to this latest document."
Strickland concluded his statement by encouraging believers to seek clarification of the true teachings of the Catholic faith.
The document from the Vatican’s doctrine office elaborates on a letter Francis wrote in October saying blessings could be offered if those blessings weren’t confused with the ritual of marriage, the Associated Press reported.
The new document reemphasized that marriage is a lifelong union between a man and a woman, and the blessing cannot be related to any specific Catholic celebration or religious service, according to the Associated Press.
It does say that requests for the blessings of same-sex couples should not be denied. The statement says the blessing means people seeking a transcendent relationship with God as well as His love and mercy "shouldn't be held up to an impossible moral standard to receive it," the AP said.
“For, those seeking a blessing should not be required to have prior moral perfection,” the document said. “There is no intention to legitimize anything, but rather to open one’s life to God, to ask for his help to live better, and also to invoke the Holy Spirit so that the values of the Gospel may be lived with greater faithfulness."
In November, a Catholic cardinal out of Houston said a visitation by two bishops in June found the continuation of Strickland's leadership to be "not feasible." A decision was then made to ask for Strickland's resignation, which was done on Nov. 9. Strickland then declined to resign and two days later, Pope Francis removed Strickland from the Office of Bishop of Tyler.
Strickland later released a statement weeks after his removal saying his dismissal was related to him speaking "the Truth of (the) Catholic faith" and his defense of its unchangeable teachings to protect his flock.