The Fallout from Archbishop Vigano’s Message to Pope Leo

Archbishop Vigano’s letter to Pope Leo was a straightforward list of questions for the new Pope to answer regarding actions by Pope Francis and the direction of the Catholic Church.

by Aldo Maria Valli

The letter to Leo XIV from Monsignor Carlo Maria Viganò [here] has the merit of confronting the Pope with inescapable questions. And since it comes not from a fanatical ideologue but from a faithful servant of the Church, it fully warrants being taken seriously by anyone questioning what has become of a Church that still calls itself Catholic but, in essence, no longer is.

The story of his journey within the Church speaks for Viganò. His was a long career in the service of the Holy See: the diplomatic corps, the Secretariat of State, Nigeria, the Governorate, and the Nunciature to the United States. His efforts to combat corruption in Vatican City are well known to those familiar with that world. His 2018 dossier—accusing Francis and other high-ranking officials of covering up the McCarrick scandal—remains a formidable indictment. The isolation and threats he faced in return demonstrate that he struck a raw nerve.

That council was not an “aggiornamento”—an updating. It was a revolution. It was a process of subversion, carefully planned and affecting every sector of the Church’s life: doctrine, liturgy, sacraments, discipline, canon law, and ecclesiology. When Viganò describes the post-conciliar Church as an occupation from within—aimed at imposing a theological design different from the previous one—he is simply capturing reality. History confirms it.

And so, a retired apostolic nuncio—who ought to be commended for his service and courage—is forced to beg for a meeting with the Pope. Yet the Pope does not reply.

Rome excommunicated Viganò using a Stalinist method. The Church of dialogue and inclusion brought the axe down on this faithful servant of hers. All this for having questioned Vatican II—a council that sought to be pastoral rather than dogmatic.

Let us reflect on this. Viganò was not excommunicated for denying, for example, transubstantiation, the Virgin Mary’s virginity, or the resurrection of the dead. No. He was cast out for critically analyzing a pastoral council and the path the Church has taken in the wake of that rupture.

The archbishop’s letter has the merit of backing into a corner those conservatives who still toy with the hermeneutic of continuity. And the very policy of Rome—according to which adherence to Vatican II, rather than to the Deposit of Faith, is the proof of fidelity—demonstrates that Viganò is right.

When Monsignor Viganò asks Leo XIV to show him where he, as a servant, has contradicted the depositum fidei, he confronts him with a decisive challenge. And perhaps this is precisely the reason why an audience has not yet been granted. The burden of proof lies with the Pope. Can Rome seriously demonstrate that Viganò is a schismatic? Or is it not, in fact, Rome that has excommunicated itself?

The final passages of the letter also deserve to be highlighted.

“I trust,” writes Monsignor Viganò to the Pope, “that Your Holiness will grant me an audience, following the cancellation of the one previously scheduled for last December 11th. I will then be able to communicate to you in person certain matters of the utmost importance regarding my apostolic ministry and the need to ensure its continuity and future.”

Note well: Viganò speaks not only of “matters of the utmost importance” linked to his episcopal ministry but states that they concern the need to ensure “continuity and future” for that ministry.

Are sensational developments in store?

The post The Fallout from Archbishop Vigano’s Message to Pope Leo appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.