Vatican excommunicates its former ambassador to US

The Vatican said Friday it had excommunicated Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, the church’s former ambassador to the United States, after he was found guilty of schism for refusing to recognize the authority of Pope Francis and the liberal reforms implemented after the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s.

Archbishop Viganò has become one of Francis’ most outspoken conservative critics, calling him a “false prophet” and a “servant of Satan” in public statements while embracing right-wing conspiracy theories and praise for former President Donald J. Trump.

In 2018, he wrote a 7,000-word letter calling on the pope to resign, accusing him of covering up sexual abuse by an American cardinal. Earlier, in 2015, he invited a gay rights critic to greet the pope in Washington, challenging Francis’ message of inclusivity.

He has since taken an anti-vaccination stance, blaming “deep state” forces in the West for sparking the war in Ukraine and demonizing Russia.

Although excommunicated, Archbishop Viganò is allowed to retain his title, but he is no longer allowed to celebrate mass, receive or administer sacraments, or hold official positions within the church hierarchy.

Archbishop Viganò did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Robert Moynihan, the editor of a Vatican magazine that often reports Archbishop Viganò’s views, said the archbishop had been summoned to appear before the Vatican office responsible for religious discipline on June 28, but had not come to Rome to do so.

Instead, the Archbishop said a statement published in which he said that he did not recognize the authority of the tribunal “that claims to judge me, nor of its prefect, nor of the one who appointed him.”

He also reiterated his attack on liberal changes in the church, accusing the pope of committing a “crime against humanity” by promoting vaccines. He also condemned the pope’s “adherence to climate fraud” and Francis’ vision of a church that was “pro-immigration, eco-sustainable and gay-friendly.”

Francis has also punished other outspoken right-wing clerics. The Rev. Frank Pavone, an American who led the group Priests for Life, was removed from office in 2022, and Cardinal Raymond Burke, a leading figure for Catholic traditionalists who believed Francis was watering down doctrine, was evicted from his subsidized Vatican apartment last year, according to reports.