Archbishop Carlo María Viganò said this Friday, June 28, that he will not attend the Vatican summons to face the charge of the crime of schism, and reiterated his statement that Pope Francis is not the legitimate Pope of the Catholic Church.
The prelate had previously revealed that he received an email from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, informing him of a lawsuit against him. The deadline for Viganò to appear before the Vatican expired today.
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The former apostolic nuncio in the United States—who made headlines in 2018 for ensure that senior Church officials covered up the abuses committed by the former cardinal Theodore McCarrick—has repeatedly rejected the authority of Pope Francis since then and has asked him to resign.
In an extensive declaration shared on social networks this June 28, Viganò accused Pope Francis of “heresy and schism” for his promotion of COVID-19 vaccines and his supervision of 2018 agreement between the Vatican and China for the appointment of bishops in the Asian country.
He also said that he has “no reason to consider myself separated from the communion with the Holy Church and with the papacy, which I have always served with filial devotion and fidelity.”
“I maintain that the errors and heresies to which (Francis) adhered before, during and after his election, together with the intention he had in his apparent acceptance of the papacy, render his elevation to the throne null and void,” wrote Viganò.
Viganò, who had been in hiding for years, announced on social media on June 20 that he had been summoned to Rome to respond to formal charges of the crime of schism.
Schism is a crime defined in the Code of Canon Law as “the rejection of subjection to the Supreme Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him”, while heresy is “the persistent denial, after receiving baptism, of a truth that must be believed with faith.” divine and catholic, or the persistent doubt about it.”
The specific charges against Viganò, according to a document he himself published, involve making public statements that supposedly deny the fundamental elements necessary to maintain communion with the Catholic Church.
This includes denying the legitimacy of Pope Francis as pontiff and completely rejecting the doctrines established during the Second Vatican Council.
The Second Vatican Council was the most important ecclesiastical event of the 20th century. Promoted by Saint John XXIII, it aimed to update the way in which the Catholic Church should position itself in the modern world. It began in 1962 and was divided into four stages, which concluded in 1965, when Saint Paul VI was Pope.
Viganò had previously said in a June 21 statement that he had “no intention of subjecting myself to a show trial,” adding that he had not sent any material in his defense to the dicastery, “whose authority I do not recognize, nor that of its prefect, nor that of the person who named him.”
Translated and adapted by the ACI Prensa team. Originally published in CNA
Jonah McKeown
Jonah McKeown is an editor and podcast producer for Catholic News Agency. He has a master’s degree from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and has worked as a writer, radio producer and videographer.