Refuses to submit to false council and false shepherds…
Excluded and Marginalized: Vatican Declares ‘Abp.’ Viganò Excommunicated for Schism
As this is a developing story, this page
may be updated with additional information
[LATEST UPDATE: 08-JUL-2024 23:40 UTC]
Big news out of the Vatican today, although not unexpected.
The extrajudicial trial for schism against ‘Archbishop’ Carlo Maria Viganò (b. 1941), which the Novus Ordo Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith began on June 20, 2024, has come to its expected end. Today the Vatican’s Bollettino published the following statement:
PRESS RELEASE
OF THE DICASTERY FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITHOn 4 July 2024, the Congress of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith met to conclude the extrajudicial penal process referred to in canon 1720 CIC against the Most Reverend Carlo Maria Viganò, titular Archbishop of Ulpiana, accused of the reserved delict of schism (canons 751 and 1364 CIC; art. 2 SST).
His public statements manifesting his refusal to recognize and submit to the Supreme Pontiff, his rejection of communion with the members of the Church subject to him, and of the legitimacy and magisterial authority of the Second Vatican Council are well known.
At the conclusion of the penal process, the Most Reverend Carlo Maria Viganò was found guilty of the reserved delict of schism.
The Dicastery declared the latae sententiae excommunication in accordance with canon 1364 § 1 CIC.
The lifting of the censure in these cases is reserved to the Apostolic See.
This decision was communicated to the Most Reverend Viganò on 5 July 2024.
(“Comunicato Stampa del Dicastero per la Dottrina della Fede”, Bollettino, July 5, 2024)
The Novus Ordo news video platform Rome Reports has released the following brief clip on the development:
As of the time this post is being written, ‘Abp.’ Viganò has not yet responded in public to the declaration except to issue a brief tweet reported on here:
- Viganò tells bishops following his excommunication: ‘If you are silent, the stones will cry out’ (Life Site)
For the sake of accuracy, we must point out that this is technically not an excommunication being imposed by the ecclesiastical judge on Viganò. Rather, it is, as in the case of Abp. Marcel Lefebvre in 1988, a declaration (official confirmation) that the automatic penalty of latae sententiae excommunication (which canon law legislates to be incurred by all guilty of schism) has indeed been incurred by Viganò.
Therefore, it is inaccurate, strictly speaking, to say that the Vatican has excommunicated Vigano. Rather, the correct way to phrase it would be to say that the Vatican has declared Vigano to have excommunicated himself by being guilty of schism.
The 11-page Decree of Excommunication the Vatican sent to ‘Abp.’ Viganò has been translated, unofficially, into English, and can be found here:
- ENGLISH: Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, CRIMINAL DECREE against C.M. Viganò (July 4, 2024)
- ITALIAN original (scanned)
Here are some links to initial coverage/commentary on the breaking news story:
- BREAKING: Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò “excommunicated” for “the delict of schism” (The WM Review)
- Archbishop Viganò excommunicated (The Pillar)
- Archbishop Viganò excommunicated for schism (Katholisch.de)
- BREAKING: Vatican says Archbishop Viganò ‘guilty’ of schism and excommunicated (Life Site)
- Archbishop Viganò excommunicated for schism (America)
- Vatican excommunicates former nuncio Viganò (La Croix International)
- Vatican declares former US envoy excommunicated on July 4 (Crux)
- Viganò excommunicated for schism (Vatican News)
- Vatican excommunicates Viganò for schism (Catholic World Report)
- Vatican Excommunicates Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò for Schism (National Catholic Register)
- Vatican Excommunicates Archbishop Viganò, Found Guilty Of Schism (OSV News)
- Vatican excommunicates a former ambassador to the US and declares him guilty of schism (Associated Press)
- Archbishop Viganò found guilty of schism, excommunicated by Vatican (National Catholic Reporter)
- VIDEO: Bp. Donald Sanborn on the Excommunication of Vigano (Most Holy Trinity Seminary)
- The Latest Developments in the Viganò Case — What to Make of Them? (Roberto De Mattei)
- VIDEO: Fr. Stephen McKenna on Vigano Excommunication: Why We Should be Cautious Rather than Coronate (Catholic Family Podcast)
- Vatican Finds Abp. Viganò Guilty of Schism, Declares Automatic Excommunication (Catholic Family News)
- My take on Viganò: the Bergoglian Church is a False Sect (Fr. Vili Lehtoranta)
- The Excommunication of Archbishop Viganò (Crisis Magazine)
- Explainer: Archbishop Viganò excommunicated himself. What does that mean? (America)
- Letter from Mel Gibson to Carlo Maria Viganò (Aldo Maria Valli)
- Jorge Mario Bergoglio is Collecting Scalps (Christ or Chaos)
- Excommunication is an honour: Mel Gibson backs Viganò (Katholisch.de)
- Sermon: On Viganò’s Excommunication (Fr. Michael DeSaye)
- Sermon: On Viganò’s Excommunication (Fr. Gregory Barnes)
The following links to our prior posts on this topic will suffice for our own commentary, as nothing has substantially changed:
- Vatican Puts ‘Abp.’ Carlo Maria Viganò on Trial for Schism (June 20)
- The Sense and Scope of Schism: A Pre-Vatican II Canonist Speaks (June 22)
- Podcast: Vatican versus Viganò (TRADCAST EXPRESS 194) (June 27)
In a lengthy statement released on June 28, Viganò had doubled down on his accusations against ‘Pope’ Francis: “…I accuse Jorge Mario Bergoglio of heresy and schism, and I ask that he be judged as a heretic and schismatic and removed from the Throne which he has unworthily occupied for over eleven years”, he wrote in his monograph, which deserves to be read in full:
- Carlo Maria Viganò, “J’Accuse” (Exsurge Domine Foundation)
Again we note the glaring double standard coming from the oh-so merciful and inclusive Vatican these days, which since Vatican II declares itself to be in ‘imperfect’ or ‘partial’ communion with every heretic and schismatic under the sun (except Vigano now!).
Nothing there about “what unites us is so much greater than what divides us”, or “we reject nothing that is true and holy in what Abp. Vigano has written”.
No mention that although he is “not in full communion”, there are nevertheless strong ecclesial bonds, especially that of baptism, that unite Vigano to the Vatican II Church.
Nothing about him not losing his dignity.
Nothing about Catholics needing Vigano and him being members of the Mystical Body of Christ (for that, he may need to join the Lutheran sect first).
No “Who am I to judge?” either.
And we suspect we won’t be told Vigano can receive a blessing from James Martin (for that, he might need to enter an illicit union of sorts first).
It’s always good to know that Francis does act when he considers the matter important enough…
By the way: We could make a list now of who has not been excommunicated by the Vatican but should be.
That, however, would be much too arudous of an undertaking, and would result in much too long of a list.
Title image source: exsurgedomine.it (cropped)
License: fair use
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