Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò has been found guilty of schism and excommunicated, the Vatican’s doctrinal office says.
He was the papal nuncio in Washington from 2011-2016.
In 2018 Viganò reportedly hid after alleging Pope Francis and other senior clerics knew of US Cardinal Theodore McCarrick’s sexual misconduct for years and did nothing about it.
He called for the Pope to resign, saying Francis was a “false prophet” and a “servant of Satan.”
Summoned to the Vatican
The Vatican rejected the 83-yer old Viganò’s accusations of a Vatican cover-up of sexual misconduct. It summoned him to answer charges of schism and of denying the pope’s legitimacy.
On Friday, the Vatican doctrinal office said Viganò’s public comments showed he refused “to recognise and submit” to the Pope.
Viganò had also rejected the Second Vatican Council’s liberal reforms. They were not legitimate, he claimed.
“At the conclusion of the penal process, the Most Reverend Carlo Maria Vigano was found guilty of the reserved delict (violation of the law) of schism” the Vatican said in a statement.
He has been excommunicated from the Church the Vatican announced.
Unrepentant Viganò
In a message on X, Viganò remained unrepentant, publishing the full text of the decision against him, which warned that he could be expelled from the Roman Catholic priesthood if he persisted in his stance.
He urged Catholic faithful to voice their support for him, quoting Jesus in the New Testament: “If they keep quiet, the stones themselves will start shouting”.
Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernandez, head of the Doctrine of the Faith office, and its secretary Father John Joseph Kennedy, signed the Vatican ruling.
Although – as is usual in such cases – the Pope did not sign the announcement, it is said to be “highly unlikely that the punishment was meted out without his approval.
Attacking the pope
Viganò, who mostly communicates via the X social network, announced last month that he had refused to take part in the Vatican disciplinary proceedings.
“I do not recognise the authority of the tribunal that claims to judge me, nor of its Prefect, nor of the one who appointed him,” he said, referring to Fernandez and Francis.
Viganò referred to Francis only by his surname “Bergoglio” and accused him of representing an “inclusive, immigrationist, eco-sustainable and gay-friendly” Church.
The Church has strayed from its true message, he wrote.
Francis has angered many conservatives with his attitude to divorcees and the LGBT community. Mercy and forgiveness should come before the strict enforcement of Catholic doctrine, he says.
Conservatives and traditionalists are also disturbed by Francis’ championing of migrant rights, fighting climate change and condemning capitalism’s excesses.
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