While I was out of town today, it seems like a significant news item emerged, that the man once Vatican ambassador to the US is to be tried for schism. From the RNS:
If found guilty of schism, (Archbishop Viganò) would be subject to “excommunication latae sententiae,” an automatic penalty that would prohibit the prelate from performing and receiving the sacraments.
In 2018, Viganò published a lengthy and fiery letter accusing Francis of having covered for Theodore McCarrick, a onetime cardinal and archbishop of Washington, D.C., after men came forward to accuse McCarrick of having committed sexual abuse. At the time, Viganò said he had repeatedly warned the church hierarchy of the abuse and called for Francis’ resignation.
Ah yes, the McCarrick affair. The good archbishop has always failed to mention he neglected to out the predator himself, or urge Pope Benedict XVI to take action on the man. Not a good sign: the archbishop also tried to obstruct the investigation of US prelate who was later forced into retirement because his own scandals.
Cardinal Parolin speaking from the Vatican:
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 archbishop is a sad case. He’s been disappointed many times in his assignments from the pope. He seems to land on the wrong side of morality and Catholic theology. He seems, to use a theological term, to have gone completely off his rocker.
I feel badly for those who have misjudged their support. This may be a blow for some Catholics. Reality sets in.
Catholic Sensibility 