WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) — Traditional Catholics’ weekly rosary rally outside the apostolic nunciature in the nation’s capital will this Saturday also be a gathering to show support for Bishop Joseph Strickland, one of America’s most beloved bishops who was just removed from his diocese by Pope Francis.
Rather than the one five-decade rosary they typically pray for the restoration of the Mass of the Ages, attendees at the rally on Saturday morning will pray all 15 decades of the rosary – the Joyful Mysteries in thanksgiving for Strickland’s witness to the faith, the Sorrowful Mysteries in reparation, and the Glorious Mysteries for the restoration of the Traditional Latin Mass. The November 18 gathering begins at 9 a.m. outside the apostolic nunciature (essentially the Vatican embassy to the U.S.), which is located at 3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.
Join us in prayer next Saturday! pic.twitter.com/WkQhZajeJs
— DC Rosary Rally for the Latin Mass (@dcrosaryrally) November 11, 2023
“At a time when trust in bishops is at an all-time low, Bishop Strickland is beloved, trusted and looked to as a spiritual father by Catholics due to his outspokenness for the faith and his closeness to his flock. We are particularly concerned by reports that Bishop Strickland’s removal was due to expressing widespread criticisms of Pope Francis shared by many Catholics in the United States – especially over his handling of the McCarrick sex abuse case,” Noah Peters, president of the Arlington Latin Mass Society (ALMS), told LifeSiteNews.
“Indeed, Pope Francis has repeatedly made baseless and hurtful about American Catholics and has a disturbing record of covering up for abusers,” he continued.
“We are also concerned that Bishop Strickland was removed because he would not implement Pope Francis’ cruel and unjust Latin Mass restrictions, which are currently causing enormous hurt and confusion among Catholics. Therefore, we are proud to take up the call of the Diocese of Tyler to pray for Bishop Strickland during this difficult and confusing period.”
READ: Bishop Strickland: I was removed because forces in the Church want to change the teaching of Jesus
The weekly rosary rallies call attention to the brutal crackdown on Traditional Latin Masses in the Archdiocese of Washington and the neighboring Diocese of Arlington.
The Francis Effect: empty pews at Old St. Mary in Chinatown for Cardinal Gregory’s visit. The once-full parish had the Traditional Latin Mass taken away in September 2022 in a move that shocked and saddened the congregation. Before the TLM was taken away, it routinely had 400… pic.twitter.com/4Nd8dEjEIh
— DC Rosary Rally for the Latin Mass (@dcrosaryrally) November 13, 2023