Ultraconservative archbishop excommunicated for rejecting Pope Francis’ authority

The Vatican announced on Friday, July 5, 2024, the excommunication of an ultraconservative Italian archbishop for rejecting the authority of Pope Francis.

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Charles Mary Vigano83 years old, who was summoned in June before the justice of the Holy See, was Excluded from the Catholic Church for “his refusal to recognize and submit to the Supreme Pontiff”the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith said in a statement.

“We are aware of his public statements which show his refusal… to enter into communion with members of the Church,” he added.

This exceptional measure could have a strong impact in ultra-conservative circles, especially in the United States, where opposition to the Argentine pope’s pontificate is strong.

What did the archbishop say about Pope Francis?

The influential Italian prelate, who was the Holy See’s ambassador to the United States, announced that he had been summoned to appear before the Vatican courts on June 20, accused of having “denied the legitimacy of Pope Francis” and “rejected the Second Vatican Council.”

“I repudiate, reject and condemn the scandals, errors and heresies of Jorge Mario Bergoglio [el papa Francisco]who has an absolutely tyrannical management of power“, he said then.

“I consider the accusations brought against me to be an honour,” added Carlo Maria Vigano. on social network X.

The Second Vatican Council (1962-65), considered as the adaptation of the Church to the modern world, “represents the ideological, theological, moral and liturgical cancer of which the ‘Bergoglian’ Synodal Church is the necessary metastasis,” he wrote then.

Carlos Maria Vigano was apostolic nuncio, the equivalent of the Holy See’s ambassador in Washington, from 2011 to 2016 before retiring. He is known for his repeated accusations against the pope and his positions against his authority.

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