Vatican expels prominent pope critic from church
Published: Friday, Jul 5th 2024, 15:20
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The Vatican has banned one of its highest-ranking former diplomats from the Catholic Church: The competent authority for the doctrine of the faith announced in Rome the expulsion of the former Vatican ambassador to the USA, Carlo Maria Viganò.
The Holy See justifies this by stating that the 83-year-old Italian no longer recognizes the authority of Pope Francis and has caused division in the Church. Following his departure from the diplomatic service, Viganò had made a name for himself with all kinds of conspiracy theories and massive criticism of the Pope.
With the excommunication, the former bishop also loses all his ecclesiastical offices and dignities. He was appointed nuncio (ambassador) in Washington in 2011 by Francis' now deceased predecessor, the German Pope Benedict XVI. He left after five years and has not been sparing in his criticism ever since.
Last month, he refused to appear before a Vatican court to defend himself against the accusation of schism (church schism). He did not even show up for the hearing. He called on the Swiss Guard - the Pope's bodyguards - to arrest the Pontiff.
During the coronavirus pandemic, Viganò caused a stir with a letter against the restrictions, which was also signed by several other bishops. In the USA, the Italian repeatedly sided with former President Donald Trump, who is now seeking re-election. He described his opponents as "children of darkness". He also accused the Pope of not investigating allegations of abuse.
At the end of the trial in absentia, the Office for the Doctrine of the Faith found Viganò guilty of schism. It considers it proven that he disregarded the decisions of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) and denied the legitimacy of Francis - a breach of communion with the head of the Roman Catholic Church. The Italian himself did not initially comment on the excommunication.
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