Bishop Joseph Strickland warns of growing confusion about the Catholic Church’s identity, teaching, and public witness. Sacred spaces should direct people toward Christ—not become platforms for messages shaped by cultural pressures. “Is the altar still teaching us that Jesus Christ is Lord?” he asks. He warns against reducing Christian love to mere affirmation: “We have to be able to speak about love without losing the truth”—and speak truth without losing charity. Every person entering the Church must be treated as a human being, not a symbol or political cause. “Every person is a person for whom Christ has died.”
A major tension runs beneath the surface: Catholics attached to traditional liturgy face restrictions while other groups receive public welcome. The bishop acknowledges legitimate questions about authority, obedience, and communion—and says he understands why some Catholics ask, “What is being measured here?” Unity cannot require silence about doctrine. Fidelity cannot mean indifference to communion. Rather than calling Catholics to choose sides, he calls for prayer, repentance, worship, clear teaching, works of mercy, and charitable but courageous speech.
Drawing on St. Francis of Assisi’s call to “repair my house,” Strickland concludes that bishops and faithful alike must move beyond discussing what is broken and begin rebuilding the Church “stone by stone”—with perseverance and confidence in God. The question is not who is to blame. It is who will start rebuilding. And the answer must be: all of us.
