Pope Francis appoints new Bishop of Tyler

TYLER – Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Gregory Kelly, the current Auxiliary Bishop of Dallas, as the new Bishop of Tyler on Friday. According to our news partner KETK, Kelly will be the fifth bishop to ever be appointed to lead the Tyler Diocese since it was founded in 1986 by Pope St. John Paul II. Kelly’s appointment comes after Bishop Joseph Strickland was removed as Bishop of Tyler in November of 2023, following a months-long investigation by the Vatican.

Bishop Strickland’s removal by the pope sparked widespread criticism, and the question of politics in religion has become a hot topic. However, Kelly said there will also be a back-and-forth between the two.

“The church always has to stay out of partisan politics, endorsing candidates or doing anything like that,” Kelly said.

Kelly was born in Le Mars, Iowa on Feb. 15 1956. He received his Bachelor’s of Arts in philosophy from the University of Dallas in 1978 while he was in the Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving, according to the Diocese of Dallas.

Later in 1982, he received his master’s degree in divinity from the University of Dallas and was ordained as a priest that same year. He was made Auxiliary Bishop for Dallas in 2016 and served as a Vicar General and moderator for the Curia.

The Diocese of Tyler held a press conference from the St. Paul meeting room at the Diocesan Chancery at 10 a.m. on Friday. After the announcement at 12:05 p.m., Kelly attended mass with members of the Tyler Diocese.

Kelly will not begin his duties until Feb. 24, 2025, but on Friday he presided over his first mass in the diocese at the Chapel of Saints Peter and Paul. Kelly remains grateful for the support shown by the community, and said he can’t wait to get started.