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By Khaleda Rahman
National Correspondent
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Pope Francis has sparked a backlash after reportedly punishing Cardinal Raymond Burke, a conservative American and one of his most outspoken critics, by revoking his right to a subsidized Vatican apartment and salary.
Francis told the heads of Vatican offices in a meeting on November 20 that he intended to evict Burke and deprive him of his salary as a retired cardinal because he was a source of "disunity" in the church, The Associated Press reported, citing an unnamed official who attended the meeting. Another official told the AP that Francis said he was removing Burke's privileges because he was using them against the church.
Francis' decision, first reported by the conservative Italian newspaper La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana, is the second time this month that the pope has taken action against a vocal conservative critic.
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Earlier in November, Francis removed the bishop of Tyler, Texas, Joseph Strickland, after Strickland refused to step down following a Vatican investigation into governance of his diocese.
"If this is accurate it is an atrocity that must be opposed," Strickland wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, in response to an article about the action that Francis had reportedly taken. "If it is false information it needs to be corrected immediately," Strickland added.
Asked about the report on Tuesday, Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni didn't deny it, telling reporters: "I don't have anything particular to say about that."
Burke has not been informed of measures being taken, his secretary said to the AP.
Newsweek has contacted Burke for comment via his personal website and the Vatican via email.
The reports quickly prompted a backlash on social media.
Francis "is well on his way to becoming the most tyrannical pope in history" if the report is true, Michael J. Matt, the editor of The Remnant, a traditionalist Catholic newspaper, wrote on X.
"We have reached a new level of Papal vindictiveness," author Raymond Arroyo wrote on the platform, adding that he had resisted commenting earlier because he thought the reports "couldn't possibly be true."
Another person wrote that the pope was a "petty little man."
However, some welcomed the news.
"A well deserved rebuke to one of the biggest [a******s] in the U.S. Catholic episcopate," author John W. Farrell wrote.
Another person wrote: "This truly was a merciful act on behalf of His Holiness. Burke held an unsanctioned synod in direct competition with and in opposition to the Supreme Pontiff. A century ago he'd have been defrocked and excommunicated."
Burke has long been critical of Francis and his reform project, including his mission to make the church more welcoming to LGBTQ+ Catholics.
He was among a group of conservative cardinals who challenged Francis to make clarifications on issues such as same-sex couples ahead of a big Vatican meeting of bishops, known as synod, last month.
On the eve of the meeting, Burke presided over a gathering of conservatives near the Vatican where he criticized Francis and called for a defence against "the poison of confusion, error and division" in the Church, according to Reuters.
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