Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In these pastoral letters that I have been sending out, I have been writing about many issues that we are facing in what is an ever-growing crisis in the Church and in the world. As a Catholic bishop, my primary concern is always the Church, the mystical Body of Christ, but it is clear that the present crisis in which we find ourselves touches not just the Church but every aspect of humanity. When the Church is weak and her earthly leadership is seriously corrupted, it leaves every aspect of the human community vulnerable to evil, and we are seeing that vulnerability at every turn. As serious as all the issues are, about which I have written, there is nothing more serious than the distorted understanding of authority and obedience which we now find rampant. When we lack a clear understanding of the source from whence legitimate authority flows, then obedience is in grave danger of becoming arbitrary and compromised.
Roma locuta est! “Rome has spoken!” 
The history of the Church is replete with accounts of incidents/events in which a conflict arose, and Rome, with the proper use of authority, spoke out and settled the matter. Catholics have wisely held onto this anchor of divine authority in the Catholic Church. Divinely created authority, which is fully present only within the Catholic Church, should be a refuge for the faithful. Being obedient to divine authority is being obedient to Christ as He is the one who has called that person into that position of authority. Obedience to divine authority is necessary within the holy structure of the Church, and it is important in helping us to grow in holiness. Unfortunately, however, the fact that divine authority has been viewed as “a given” in the Church has also served in many cases to make the faithful lazy or complacent in their obedience, and many have forgotten that, as St. Thomas Aquinas declared, God is to be obeyed in ALL things, but human authorities are to be obeyed in CERTAIN things.
As significant as this erosion of authority is for the state, the family, and society in general, when it afflicts the Church, it takes us to a whole new level of concern. The Catholic Church is established on the Truth that comes from Almighty God and is fully revealed in Jesus Christ, His Divine Son, Truth Incarnate. When a confused understanding of authority invades even the Church, then the very foundations of civilization are shaken, and we are witnessing these tremors every day.
Jesus Christ tells us that “all authority in heaven and on earth” has been granted to Him; thus, we must recognize that even all earthly authority must look to Christ for its light. Only with this understanding of authority can we establish a firm foundation for obedience. Simply put, obedience must always find its final point in obedience to Christ and the truth that He reveals. Obedience to the truth that has been revealed to us ultimately brings us to God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – the ultimate authority. As we navigate the path of obedience, if we ignore the truth that Christ has revealed to us, we short circuit the very meaning of obedience itself.
Today we find ourselves immersed in a culture which, influenced by postmodernism, is unable or unwilling to recognize valid authority. We are in fact immersed in a culture influenced by Nihilism, and this can be traced back to the fall. Nihilism, a philosophy that proclaims all values are baseless, focuses on the use of the will to dominate. It is a rejection of absolute truth, and it puts forth the idea that “truth” is just in fact the expression of the will, as pure, unadulterated truth does not exist. In this context, each person can make up truth as he sees fit, or he can determine that truth is whatever the authority figure he recognizes determines it to be. This belief in the will to power (or the belief that each individual is an authority unto himself) has even invaded the Church, and it has become a festering, purulent wound within the Mystical Body today.
This twisted view of authority and obedience has been a brilliant but deadly weapon of the fallen for they have been able to influence men in the hierarchy of the Church to use their accompanying “authority” to cause harm to souls. By proclaiming that obedience is still due to these who have forfeited their God-given authority, obedience has been used as a weapon and has forced tolerance of situations such as the sex abuse scandals that have so devastated the Church and have caused harm to so many individuals who have fallen victim to these men who abuse power.
One thing that has been lost in the confusion regarding authority and obedience is the fact that whenever the use of authority is causing harm to a divine truth, such as when a priest or a bishop challenges the Doctrine of Faith of the Church, then anyone has a right, in fact even a duty, to resist. And rather than violating the Catholic tenet of obedience, this resistance actually strengthens it. Something else that seems to have been forgotten is the understanding that absolute authority is present only in the face of an infallible pronouncement emanating from the Pope himself, or from a doctrinal council with the approval of the reigning pontiff, and that an infallible pronouncement is always, in simple terms, an affirmation of truth that is a part of the Doctrine of Faith, to which there have been no additions since the death of St. John in 100 A.D.
When addressing the issues of authority and obedience in today’s Church, we must remember that the ultimate source of authority and truth is God. The dilemmas we face will always find their answer in the truth that God has revealed to us. We must constantly ask, “Is this authentic to Christ?” and “Does it correspond to what He and His Church have taught?” When we answer these questions affirmatively, then we arrive at the truth we must obey. However, if the one in “authority” has not received his authority from Christ, then no obedience is required. We should remember that authority is given by Christ to those in the hierarchy of the Church for the sake of the souls entrusted to their care. It is never given for the sake of the person himself who is in authority.
There have been many saints and doctors of the Church who have told us of a time that would come when it will be necessary for the faithful to oppose those who seem to be in “authority” within the hierarchy. If we complacently continue to obey without asking the source of the authority, then we will find ourselves in a dangerous place.
On October 13, 1973, our Blessed Mother appeared to Sister Agnes Sasagawa in Akita, Japan. This was on the anniversary of Fatima. Our Blessed Mother spoke these words: “The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres… churches and altars sacked; the Church will be full of those who accept compromises . . . “
Archbishop Fulton Sheen said on November 2, 2023, “He will set up a counter church which will be the ape of the Church, because he, the Devil, is the ape of God. It will have all the notes and characteristics of the Church, but in reverse and emptied of its divine content. It will be a mystical body of the Antichrist that will in all externals resemble the mystical body of Christ . . .”
Pope St. John Paul II said, “We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-Church, of the Gospel versus the anti-Gospel.”
And for those who think this might occur in regard to the hierarchy of the Church, but surely never in regard to a Pope, remember Pope Honorius I who was pope from 625 to 638. The Council of Constantinople condemned him posthumously, and Pope Leo II condemned him by stating that Honorius “did not attempt to sanctify this Apostolic Church with the teaching of Apostolic tradition, but by profane treachery permitted its purity to be polluted.”
It is important to realize that it is possible for even a Pope to cause harm, and although he might do this unintentionally, it is also possible that a pope might at some point intentionally seek to destroy the Faith and the Church. For this reason, we MUST NOT become lazy or complacent in regard to authority and obedience, even when it involves the Holy Father.
Francisco de Vittoria, a Dominican friar, canonist and theologian from the sixteenth century, stated: “Consequently, if he (the pope) wished to give away the whole treasure of the Church or the patrimony of St. Peter to his relatives, if he wanted to destroy the Church or the like, he should not be permitted to act in that fashion, but one would be obliged to resist him. The reason for this is that he does not have the power to destroy; therefore, if there is evidence that he is doing it, it is licit to resist him.”
St. Robert Bellarmine wrote: “Just as it is licit to resist a Pontiff who attacks the body, so also is it licit to resist him who attacks souls, or destroys the civil order, or, above all, tries to destroy the Church. I say that it is licit to resist him by not doing what he orders, and by impeding the execution of his will.”
It is not licit, however, to judge him, to punish him, or to dispose him, for such acts belong to a superior.
Also, just as we should be aware of the warnings we have been given about a counter church that will have been emptied of its divine content, and over which the Anti-Christ will preside, we must also be aware of the possibility that at some point an imposter might sit upon the chair of Peter. We must be on watch always that, should this occur, we do not obey one whose desire is to destroy the Church. We can be assured, though, that the true Church will remain intact, although perhaps it will, for a time, return to the catacombs.
I think it is important to state here, as we discuss the dangers of false authority and misplaced obedience, that the laity in the Church do not exist for the sake of the clergy in the Church. The clergy exist to provide the sacraments necessary for salvation to the laity. The concern of all clergy should always, ALWAYS, be the salvation of the souls entrusted to them.
Also, I would note that the bishops are called to be shepherds of their flocks, as well as “fathers” to the priests. However, we now see situations in which bishops attack priests who are simply speaking truth, in a profound abuse of authority, and many priests consequently have great distrust of their bishops.
Furthermore, we have recently seen situations where religious communities are put under duress by their bishops in what often suspiciously looks like more of a “land grab” or a desire to control than a genuine concern for their souls. We also are seeing situations where bishops, in being notified about supposed messages from heaven being given in certain religious communities, immediately attempt to shut the community down and declare the messages false without any investigation whatsoever. In many of these cases, there is cause for concern in regards to proper authority. Therefore, the faithful must proceed with caution, and much prayer and discernment.
Let us pray without ceasing for the Church, the prelates who lead her, and the faithful who belong to Her Mystical Body. May we seek profound obedience to the authoritative truth that Jesus Christ has revealed to us, and may we resist authority that has not Christ as its source, walking in profound obedience to Christ.
Bishop Joseph E. Strickland
