Archbishop Vigano announces he is being tried for schism

Archbishop Vigano

Source: Vatican Media

Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, a former apostolic nuncio to the United States, has posted on his 'X' (Twitter) account a communication from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, summoning him to Rome to face an 'extrajudicial penal process' (also known as an 'administrative process') for the canonical crime of schism.

According to the post, which reproduces a copy of a decree attributed to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Viganò was to appear on Thursday afternoon (or appoint his own defense counsel) at 3.30pm to "take notice of the accusations and evidence concerning the crime of schism of which he has been accused (public statements which result in a denial of the elements necessary to maintain communion with the Catholic Church; denial of the legitimacy of Pope Francis; a rupture of communion with him; and rejection of the Second Vatican Council)."

The document warns that should he fail to appear, or to provide a written defense submitted by June 28, the archbishop "will be judged in his absence."

In September 2018, Archbishop Viganò wrote a strident letter concerning the case of then-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, in which he called for Pope Francis' resignation.

The McCarrick affair, which was fully clarified by the Holy See with the publication of a detailed report in November 2020, that comprehensively refuted the Archbishop, is not the subject of the document published in the X account. Rather, according to Archbishop Viganò, he is being accused of refusing to recognize the legitimacy of the current Pontiff and that of the last Council.

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has not commented in any way on the announcement posted on social media.

Archbishop Viganò also wrote on X: "I consider the accusations against me an honour," and calls the Second Vatican Council an "ideological, theological, moral, and liturgical cancer," of which "the Synodal Church" is a "metastasis."

Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin commented: "Archbishop Viganò has taken some attitudes and some actions for which he must answer."

The Cardinal was speaking on the sidelines of a conference at the Pontifical Urbanian University. He explained that Vigano will be given the opportunity to defend himself.

Reflecting on his previous experience of working with Archbishop Vigano, Cardinal Parolin told journalists: "I am very sorry because I always appreciated him as a great worker, very faithful to the Holy See, someone who was, in a certain sense, also an example. When he was apostolic nuncio he did good work.

"I don't know what happened," the Secretary of State concluded.