Traditionalist Archbishop Viganò Excommunicated

A leading Roman Catholic traditionalist and critic of Pope Francis has been found guilty of schism.

Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò was subsequently excommunicated by the Vatican, a rare penalty intended to prompt a change in behavior, with an invitation to repentance and return to full communion.

Viganò previously served as diplomatic and religious representative from the Vatican to the United States (the Papal Nuncio) from 2011-2016, and held an instrumental role in promoting cross-Catholic relations between Italy and the United States.

A June 11 Vatican decree stated that if Viganò remained unresponsive through June 28, he would be sentenced in absentia. The Congress of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the department of the Roman Curia charged with the religious discipline of the Catholic Church, met on July 4 to conclude the penal process against Viganò, formally announcing his excommunication on July 5.

Although formal excommunication of Viganò was expected – he repeatedly denied the legitimacy of the Second Vatican Council, as well as the legitimacy of Pope Francis as Supreme Pontiff – his excommunication is a momentous step.

Excommunication of the retired archbishop is particularly notable, as Viganò has not only been an open critic of Francis, but also among the more widely-known and once-respected bishops, particularly in the United States. Not only did the archbishop act as representative from the Holy See to the United States, but is a well-known figure among U.S. Roman Catholic traditionalist online communities. Viganò has direct ties to the Former U.S. President Donald Trump, sending a 2020 Tweet to the then-President explaining his belief that both he and Trump were leading a “battle between the forces of good and evil.” 

It would not be the first time Viganò would interject himself in American politics. He has repeatedly criticized Catholic public officeholders who favor abortion rights and same-sex marriage.

Apart from Viganò’s public disagreements with Francis and the Vatican at-large, the former bishop has been openly critical and hostile in years past. Viganò released an 11-page statement on his concerns with Francis in August 2018, in which he criticized the Vatican, alleging coverup of sexual-abuse scandals, including former Archbishop of Washington Cardinal Theodore McCarrick (who was laicized in 2019). Tensions between Viganò and the Vatican had been brewing for years, reaching a point in which his relation to the Church was publicly called into question.

This is not the first time that Francis has been involved in removing or excommunicating bishops who either slander the Pope or fail to recognize papal authority. Although not formally excommunicated, Bishop Joseph E. Strickland was relieved from his position in Tyler, Texas. Strickland was publicly critical of Francis in an October speech given in Rome in which he called Francis a “usurper of Peter’s chair.” Strickland opined that Francis was supporting an “attack on the sacred” originating from the Vatican.

The National Catholic Reporter noted Italian priest Fr. Ramon Guidetti was excommunicated after dedicating a December 31 homily to mark the anniversary of the death of Pope Benedict XVI, whom he named as being “the true pope” who “never fled the barque of Peter.”

Frequent and repetitive attacks on Francis originating within the church have become an ongoing concern for the Papacy: a steady stream of bishops and priests have been excommunicated, primarily for undermining Francis’ legitimacy, and at times for questioning Vatican II. It remains unclear as to what effect, if any, this will have on future decisions and messages from Francis.