Carlo Maria Viganò

His Excellency
Carlo Maria Viganò
Titular Archbishop of Ulpiana
Viganò (right) with US President
Barack Obama in 2013
Church Roman Catholic Church
Appointed 3 April 1992
Predecessor Salvatore Boccaccio
Orders
Ordination 24 March 1968
by Carlo Allorio
Consecration 26 April 1992
by Pope John Paul II
Personal details
Birth name Carlo Maria Viganò
Born (1941-01-16) 16 January 1941
Varese, Italy
Nationality Italian
Previous post Apostolic Nuncio to the United States (2011–2016)
Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria (1992–1998)
Official of Secretariat of State (1998–2009)
Secretary-General of the Governorate of the Vatican City State (2009–2011)
Alma mater Pontifical Gregorian University
Motto Scio cui credidi
Styles of
Carlo Maria Viganò
Reference style
Spoken style Your Excellency
Religious style Archbishop

Carlo Maria Viganò (Italian pronunciation: [vigaˈnoː]; born 16 January 1941) is an archbishop of the Catholic Church who served as the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States from 19 October 2011 to 12 April 2016. He previously served as Secretary-General of the Governorate of Vatican City State from 16 July 2009 to 3 September 2011.

Early life

Carlo Maria Viganò was born 16 January 1941 in Varese, Italy. Viganò was ordained a priest on 24 March 1968. He earned a doctorate in utroque iure (both canon and civil law).[1] He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1973, and worked at the papal diplomatic missions in Iraq and Great Britain. From 1978 to 1989, he held posts at the Secretariat of State. He was named Special Envoy and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on 4 April 1989. In addition to his native Italian, he speaks French, Spanish and English.

Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria

On 3 April 1992, he was appointed Titular Archbishop of Ulpiana and Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria by Pope John Paul II.[2] He was consecrated by the Pope, with Cardinals Franciszek Macharski and Angelo Sodano serving as co-consecrators, on 26 April. Pope John Paul II visited Nigeria in 1997 while Viganò was Apostolic Nuncio there.

Personnel chief at the Vatican

At the close of his mission to Nigeria, he was assigned to functions within the Secretariat of State as delegate for Pontifical Representations, making him the personnel chief for the Roman curia in addition to Vatican diplomats. He served in this role until he became Secretary General of the Governatorate on 16 July 2009.[2]

Secretary General of the Vatican City Governatorate

In 2009, Viganò was appointed Secretary General of the Vatican City Governatorate. In that role he established centralized accounting procedures and accountability for cost overruns that helped turn a US$10.5 million deficit for the city-state into a surplus of $44 million in one year.[3]

In 2010, Viganò suggested that the Vatican should drop out of the Euro currency agreement in order to avoid new European banking regulations. Instead, the Vatican chose to adhere to the Euro agreement and accept the new scrutiny that tougher banking regulations required.[4] In late January 2012 a television program aired in Italy under the name of Gli intoccabili (The Untouchables),[5] purporting to disclose confidential letters and memos of the Vatican.[6] Among the documents were letters written to the pope and to the Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, by Viganò, complaining of corruption in Vatican finances and a campaign of defamation against him. Viganò, formerly the second ranked Vatican administrator to the pope, requested not to be transferred for having exposed alleged corruption that cost the Holy See millions in higher contract prices.[7]

On 4 February 2012, Giovanni Lajolo, Giuseppe Bertello, Giuseppe Sciacca, and Giorgio Corbellini issued a joint statement on behalf of the Governatorate of the Vatican: "The unauthorized publication of two letters of Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, the first addressed to the Holy Father on March 27, 2011, the second to the Cardinal Secretary of State on May 8, for the Governorate of Vatican City is a source of great bitterness[...] The allegations contained in them can not but lead to the impression that the Governorate of Vatican City, instead of being an instrument of responsible government, is an unreliable entity, at the mercy of dark forces. After careful examination of the contents of the two letters, the President of the Governorate sees it as its duty to publicly declare that those assertions are the result of erroneous assessments, or fears based on unsubstantiated evidence, even openly contradicted by the main characters invoked as witnesses."[8]

Velasio De Paolis, former head of the Vatican's Prefecture of the Economic Affairs, its auditing office, said, "From what I know, I don't think there was actual corruption." But he did concede the possibility of "instances of a lack of correctness."[9] John L. Allen Jr. suggests Viganò's transfer could have been about a clash of personalities rather than policy. "[T]his would not seem to be about a courageous whistle-blower who's trying to expose wrong-doing or prompt reform. The motives seem more personal and political." [10]

Apostolic Nuncio to the United States

On 13 August 2011, Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone informed Viganò that Pope Benedict was appointing him Nuncio to the United States.[11] Reuters reported that Viganò was unwilling to take that assignment. Viganò stated that this decision was not what Pope Benedict XVI originally had manifested to him.[12] One of the letters leaked by Benedict's butler in 2012 revealed that Viganò had gone over Bertone's head and complained in a letter to Benedict of corruption in the Vatican, for which Bertone arranged to transfer Viganò to Washington over Viganò's objections.[13]

It was initially reported that Viganò's brother, Fr Lorenzo Viganò, a Jesuit biblical scholar, claimed that his brother lied in telling Benedict he needed to stay in Rome to care for his ailing brother, when apparently Lorenzo was healthy, living in Chicago, and had not spoken to his brother for two years.[14] However, it would later emerge that Fr Lorenzo had falsified these claims due to his taking unequal amounts from his parents' inheritance.[15] In retaliation against his family for preventing his attempted theft, Fr Lorenzo broke off all contact with his siblings and left for America, while there he made false statements against his brother, Viganò, so as to damage his reputation.[16] Four of his siblings came out to condemn and refute these allegations, giving context to the situation, and the irregular situation that Fr Lorenzo finds himself now, separated from his family, friends, and unwilling to normalize his situation in the Archdiocese of Chicago, against Canon Law.[16] The Vatican published Viganò's Washington appointment on 19 October 2011 and Viganò became the 14th papal representative to the United States since the creation of the post in 1893 and the fifth to serve as a diplomatic representative accredited to the government since bilateral diplomatic relations were established in 1984. Viganò said he welcomed the appointment and said that being Apostolic Nuncio to the United States is an "important, vast and delicate" task; he was grateful to Pope Benedict for entrusting him with the mission and he felt called to renew his "trust in the Lord, who asks me to set out again." Being an Apostolic Nuncio, he said, is "a call to know this people, this country and come to love them."[17] Viganò chose 19 October for the announcement because it is the feast of the North American Martyrs.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, commented that the revelation of Viganò's complaints about corruption and cronyism in Vatican finances "in a way … enhances his credibility as someone who does not look upon the internal workings of the Holy See with rose-colored glasses, but is well aware of difficulties there."[18][10]

In 2014, Viganò allegedly ordered officials of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to end an investigation into sexual misconduct on the part of Archbishop John Nienstedt, who was found innocent by police authorities.[19][20][21] Father Dan Griffith, who served as the Archdiocese's Delegate for Safe Environment between August 2013 and July 2014,[22] wrote an account of a meeting that took place in April 2014,[22] though Viganò later claimed was he not present.[23] Griffith's memo was leaked to the National Catholic Reporter in July 2016 and alleged that Viganò had ordered the Archdiocese's two Auxiliary Bishops Lee A. Piché and Andrew H. Cozzens to carry out the destruction of evidence.[22] In the meeting, Viganò stated that before the law firm which was appointed, Greene Espel, continue on to investigate the Swiss guards, they should allow Nienstedt to give his account based on the principle of audiatur et altera pars.[24] Viganò alleged that the decision was misinterpreted by Griffith to mean that investigation was to stop, and this was put into the archives. However, according to him, when he was informed he asked that this be removed and corrected, and official letters of correction were issued to Church officials to clarify this, as opposed to the versions that the newspapers attempt to relate.[25][26] On March 11, 2014, local county officials announced they had concluded an intensive investigation and would not file charges against Nienstedt, who announced his return to public ministry the same day.[27][28][19] In 2018, Viganò provided documents to LifeSiteNews to show that he attempted to have the mistake clarified and did not order an end to the investigation.[29] Griffith responded to Viganò's allegations and defended his memo.[30] Cozzens also responded with a statement defending Griffith and stating that Viganò did in fact order him and Piché to end the investigation.[31]

Kim Davis meeting

On 24 September 2015 during his visit to the United States, Pope Francis met Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. On 2 October, Thomas Rosica, a Vatican spokesman, said that the office of Viganò had extended the invitation to Davis. Chief Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi depicted the meeting as one among many brief introductions rather than an audience.[32][33][34]

On August 30, 2018, Viganò released a statement of his account of the meeting between Pope Francis and Kim Davis. He claims that the meeting was a private meeting and it may have lasted as long as 15 minutes, he also confirms that the Pope "embraced her affectionately, thanked her for her courage, and invited her to persevere."[35]

Juan Carlo Cruz, a survivor of sexual abuse who met with Pope Francis, alleged that Viganò "nearly sabotaged the visit" by having Francis meet Davis. "I didn’t know who that woman was, and he snuck her in to say hello to me — and of course they made a whole publicity out of it," Pope Francis said, according to Cruz. Francis supposedly told Cruz that he was "horrified" and that he then "fired that nuncio."[36] Viganò replied by releasing a letter to LifeSiteNews, stating that "the pope knew very well who Davis was, and he and his close collaborators had provided the private audience."[37] Subsequently, Vatican spokesman Lombardi and Thomas Rosica confirmed that the evening prior to Francis' meeting with Davis, Viganò had indeed spoken "with the pope and his collaborators and received a consensus" regarding the meeting.[37] Shortly after the meeting, Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington informed a reporter that both he and Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, then-president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, had advised Archbishop Viganò against arranging the meeting.[38] Lombardi and Rosica also stated that the pope had indeed been unhappy with Viganò regarding the Davis meeting, not because she had denied wedding licenses to gay couples, but because she had been married to four husbands.[37] Nonetheless, Lombardi stated that the "initiative" for the Davis meeting had come from Viganò, and that "the pope and his collaborators" had not fully realized the "significance" of the meeting.[37]

Retirement

In January 2016, he submitted his resignation as required when he turned 75 years old. On 12 April 2016, Pope Francis accepted Viganò's resignation and named Archbishop Christophe Pierre to succeed him as nuncio to the United States.[39]

August 2018 letter

On August 25, 2018, Viganò released an 11-page letter describing a series of warnings to the Vatican regarding Cardinal Theodore McCarrick.[40][41] Two months earlier, in June 2018, it had been publicly revealed that McCarrick had abused a minor as well as multiple adult seminarians. As a result, he resigned as a cardinal, and he was forbidden by Pope Francis from leaving the grounds where he was residing, and also from celebrating Mass in public, pending the results of a canonical trial.[42][43][44]

According to Viganò's letter, in 2000, Gabriel Montalvo (then nuncio to the United States) had informed the Vatican of McCarrick's "gravely immoral behaviour with seminarians and priests."[40] Subsequently, Viganò alleges, Pietro Sambi (nuncio from 2005 to 2011) informed the Vatican again before Viganò himself wrote his own memo regarding McCarrick in 2006.[40] However, according to Viganò, nothing was done to stop McCarrick.[40]

Accusations against Pope Francis

Viganò says that in 2007 he wrote a second memo that included material from clerical sexual abuse expert Richard Sipe.[40] Viganò says this led Pope Benedict XVI in 2009 or 2010 to place severe restrictions on McCarrick's movements and public ministry, not allowing him to venture beyond the seminary grounds where he was living, and not permitting him to say Mass in public.[45][40] Nevertheless, according to Viganò, Pope Francis removed these sanctions and made McCarrick "his trusted counselor," even though Francis "knew from at least June 23, 2013 that McCarrick was a serial predator. He knew that he was a corrupt man, he covered for him to the bitter end."[40][45]

In the letter containing these allegations, Viganò called on Francis and all others who covered up McCarrick's conduct to resign.[40][45] Viganò stated: "In this extremely dramatic moment for the universal church, he [Pope Francis] must acknowledge his mistakes and, in keeping with the proclaimed principle of zero tolerance, Pope Francis must be the first to set a good example to cardinals and bishops who covered up McCarrick’s abuses and resign along with all of them... We must tear down the conspiracy of silence with which bishops and priests have protected themselves at the expense of their faithful, a conspiracy of silence that in the eyes of the world risks making the church look like a sect, a conspiracy of silence not so dissimilar from the one that prevails in the mafia."[46]

Accusations against others

In his letter, Viganò accuses three consecutive Vatican secretaries of state, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, and Cardinal Pietro Parolin, of knowing about McCarrick's behavior but doing nothing about it.[47]

In his letter, Viganò names several high-ranking prelates that he claims were aware of Pope Benedict's restrictions on McCarrick, including Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Cardinal William Levada, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, Archbishop Ilson de Jesus Montanari, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Cardinal Fernando Filoni, Cardinal Angelo Becciu, and Bishop Robert McElroy.[41][48] Viganò's letter claims that these cardinals and prelates knew about McCarrick's sexual harassment of young adult seminarians; it does not claim that anyone knew of McCarrick's sexual abuse of minors.[20]

Viganò also claimed that McCarrick "orchestrated" the appointments of Blase Cupich as Archbishop of Chicago and Joseph Tobin as Archbishop of Newark.[40][45]

Assessments of letter by news media

The New York Times stated that Viganò's letter contained "unsubstantiated allegations and personal attacks," and described it as "an extraordinary public declaration of war against Francis' papacy at perhaps its most vulnerable moment."[45] It pointed out that during the time period that Viganò alleged McCarrick was subject to restrictions on his ministry, McCarrick continued to publicly celebrate Mass, and even joined with other bishops to present Pope Benedict a birthday cake in 2012.[45] One notable mass which McCarrick participated in occurred at the 2010 papal consistory where Donald Wuerl, his successor as Archbishop of Washington D.C., was made a cardinal.[49] McCarrick also made a public appearance at the Library of Congress in 2011 and joined other American bishops during their five-year "check-in" with Pope Benedict in January 2012.[49] He made several trips to the Vatican during this period as well,[49] and participated in a mass with other U.S. bishops at Saint Peter's tomb during the January 2012 visit.[50]

Viganò's defenders have suggested that Benedict did not impose formal sanctions but instead made an informal request to McCarrick to assume a low profile and then was unwilling to enforce these restrictions. As evidence, they point to Benedict's other supposedly half-hearted attempts to discipline prelates accused of misconduct, a Washington Post article claiming that McCarrick "always did whatever he damn well wanted" as an indicator that he could have ignored attempted restrictions, and contemporary media reports noting that McCarrick enjoyed a more visible role after Francis's election than he had while Benedict XVI was still pope.[51][52] Archbishop Georg Gänswein, Pope Benedict's personal secretary and "trusted lieutenant," described reports that Pope Benedict confirmed Viganò's letter as "fake news."[49] On October 7, after being asked to come forward by Viganò, Cardinal Marc Ouellet stated that he was aware of informal restrictions that Benedict XVI had asked McCarrick to abide by.[53]

Journalists at the time of the appointments of both Cupich and Tobin reported that McCarrick had played the decisive role in recommending both to their positions as archbishop of Chicago and Newark, respectively, as consistent with the claim made in Viganò's testimony.[51] The Guardian stated "Linking Pope Francis with the protection of a sexual abuser is false. But the rage behind it will not go away."[54]

The Catholic magazine America, published by the Jesuits of the United States, listed several other public appearances McCarrick made during this time.[20] America proposed several reasons the letter seemed credible, including Viganò's inside role in these matters as well as Pope Francis "lack of progress" and "lack of urgency" regarding sexual abuse; it also proposed several reasons to be skeptical about the letter, including Viganò's "perceived hostility toward Pope Francis" for having removed him from his post in 2016, allegedly because Viganò was seen as having "become too enmeshed in U.S. culture wars, particularly regarding same-sex marriage."[20] Viganò had also allegedly tried to quash an inquiry into Saint Paul and Minneapolis Archbishop John Nienstedt for misconduct with adult seminarians, and the National Catholic Reporter alleged that Viganò destroyed evidence against Nienstedt.[20][21][22] (Nienstedt subsequently resigned as a result of his poor handling of sex abuse cases.)[21] Viganò disputed these reports in comments to the conservative website LifeSiteNews. He claimed that they originated with an error by two other bishops participating in the investigation, and provided documents to show that he attempted to have the mistake clarified and did not order an end to the investigation.[29] Viganò also told the Associated Press that claims that he had attempted to cut short the investigation were false.[21] Viganò's claims were disputed by Griffith, who stood by his 2014 memo.[30] Cozzens also stated that Viganò told him to end the investigation and that he and Griffith had both objected to this request.[31]

The Associated Press characterized Viganò as "a conservative whose hardline anti-gay views are well known," and said the letter "reads in part like a homophobic attack on Francis and his allies."[21]

On September 1, 2018, the New York Times reported that Viganò had personally presented McCarrick with an award for missionary service in 2012 at the Pierre Hotel in Manhattan and praised him as "very much loved from us all."[49] The article said that "if Archbishop Viganò is to be believed, he was keeping a troubling secret." Conservative media countered by suggesting that he was unable to back out of the ceremony and exerted no control over it.[49] Viganò himself said that he "couldn’t make the slightest impression that I had something against the cardinal in public."[55]

Responses to letter

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, released a statement declaring that Viganò's letter raised questions which "deserve answers that are conclusive and based on evidence. Without those answers, innocent men may be tainted by false accusation and the guilty may be left to repeat sins of the past."[56]

The McCarrick case and Viganò allegations, happening at about the same time as the conclusion of the Grand jury investigation of Catholic Church sexual abuse in Pennsylvania, which alleged systematic cover-up of clergy sex abuse by bishops in Pennsylvania over decades, produced what has variously been described as a "Catholic insurgency" or "Catholic civil war." Significant numbers of lay Catholics have called on bishops implicated in alleged cover-ups as well as Pope Francis to resign. The issues have also opened up ideological divisions within the Church. A large number of conservatives, many of whom have long disliked Pope Francis, have called on him and certain bishops to resign, while liberals, who have been supportive of Francis's papacy in the past, have more commonly criticized the letter and defended the Pope.[57][58][59] Matthew Schmitz, editor of the conservative journal First Things, identified three sides to this civil war: those on the "right" who want a crack-down on sexually active gay priests, those on the "left" who want the Church to change its teaching on the immorality of homosexual sex, and those supporting "a muddled modus vivendi" in which the Church continues to proclaim "that homosexual acts are wrong while quietly tolerating them among the clergy."[59]

Reaction of Pope Francis

Asked by a reporter to respond to Viganò's allegations, Pope Francis replied, "I read the statement this morning, and I must tell you sincerely that, I must say this, to you [the reporter] and all those who are interested. Read the statement carefully and make your own judgment. I will not say a single word about this. I believe the statement speaks for itself. And you have the journalistic capacity to draw your own conclusions. It’s an act of faith. When some time passes and you have drawn your conclusions, I may speak. But, I would like your professional maturity to do the work for you. It will be good for you."[60][61][62][45][63]

According to veteran Vatican journalist John Allen, the "clear suggestion" from Francis was that "if they did so, the charges would crumble under their own weight,"[64] while others saw the Vatican's silence and Viganò's strong insistence that documents related to the case be made public as indication that the latter was likely telling the truth.[51] The publication One Peter Five characterized the pope's response as typical for his "autocratic temperament that has come to be widely known in the Vatican," but is seen by the popular press as an aberration. The article connects the response to Francis's known admiration of the Argentinian dictator, Juan Peron, and interprets it as meaning, "...[W]hether the charges are true or untrue is, as far as the bottom line is concerned, immaterial; he, Pope Francis alone, will deign to say when and if his run has ended..."[65] On August 28, Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki of Springfied, Illinois, said, in reference to Francis's statement, "Frankly, but with all due respect, that response is not adequate." He called on all Vatican officials, including Francis, to "make public the pertinent files indicating who knew what and when...and provide the accountability that the Holy Father has promised."[66] Bishop Marian Eleganti said that Francis's refusal "to say a single word about [the accusations against him] is a classic non-denial."[67]

On September 3, the Pope said "With people who do not have good will, with people who seek only scandal, who seek only division, who seek only destruction, even within families," the answer is "silence. And prayer." Many found this to be a clear reference to his decision to remain silent about the scandal.[68][69] On September 11, referring to the devil, Pope Francis said:

In these times, it seems like the Great Accuser has been unchained and is attacking bishops...True, we are all sinners, we bishops. He tries to uncover the sins, so they are visible in order to scandalize the people...The Great Accuser, as he himself says to God in the first chapter of the Book of Job, ‘roams the earth looking for someone to accuse’.[70]

Supportive responses

Monsignor Jean-François Lantheaume, who had served as first counsellor at the nunciature in Washington, D.C., stated that "Viganò said the truth," but declined to elaborate further. In his letter, Viganò had cited Lantheaume as the one who told him about the alleged "stormy" encounter between McCarrick and Sambi in which Sambi informed McCarrick of the sanctions being placed on him.[47]

Thomas Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix, stated that he had "always known and respected [Viganò] as a man of truthfulness, faith and integrity," and asked that the claims in his letter "be investigated thoroughly."[71] Similarly, David Konderla, Bishop of Tulsa, stated that Viganò's allegations would be "a good place to begin the investigations that must happen."[72] Joseph E. Strickland, Bishop of Tyler, went further, stating that he found Viganò's allegations "credible."[73] Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke said that Viganò's claims "must be totally taken to heart by those responsible in the Church" and added that "each declaration must be subject to investigation."[74] Salvatore Cordileone, Archbishop of San Francisco, said that Viganò was a man of "selfless dedication" with "integrity and sincere love of the Church." Cordileone also said that his calls for Pope Francis's resignation "must be taken seriously."[75]

Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison, said that Viganò has "impeccable integrity" and he had "offered a number of concrete, real allegations in his recent document, giving names, dates, places, and the location of supporting documentation," and these allegations justified a canonical investigation.[76] Morlino also expressed disappointment that Pope Francis had not given a direct response when asked about this matter, and accused the National Catholic Reporter of "leading the charge in a campaign of vilification against Archbishop Viganò."[76]

Paprocki called on all Vatican officials, including Francis, to "make public the pertinent files indicating who knew what and when...and provide the accountability that the Holy Father has promised."[66] Archbishop Paul Stagg Coakley professed to having "the deepest respect for Archbishop Viganó and his personal integrity" and called for an investigation and a "purification" of the Church.[77] Bishop Athanasius Schneider of Kazakhstan stated that there was "no reasonable and plausible cause to doubt the truth content of the document." He demanded "ruthlessness and transparency" in cleansing the Church of evils, particularly "homosexual cliques and networks" in the curia.[78]

Critical responses

Some American bishops were critical of Viganò's missive. Cardinal Joseph Tobin, Archbishop of Newark, released a statement criticizing Viganò's statement for "factual errors, innuendo and fearful ideology."[79] Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, said the language of the letter seemed political: "It was so scattershot that it was hard to read if it was ideological in some ways, or it was payback to others for personal slights that he had because there were some people who in his past he felt had mistreated him."[80] Cupich said he was "taken aback" by the negative language Viganò used with regard to him.[80] Cupich described the letter as a distraction from the Church's "bigger agenda": "We have to speak about the environment, about the poor, we have to reach out to people who are marginalized in society. We cannot be distracted at this moment."[81] When asked about those criticizing Francis, he responded, "Quite frankly, they also don’t like him because he’s a Latino." While Pope Francis was born in Argentina, both of his parents are Italians.[82]

Robert McElroy, Bishop of San Diego, said that the letter, instead of seeking "comprehensive truth," showed "partisanship, division and distortion" in "its ideologically-driven selection of bishops who are attacked, in its clear efforts to settle old personal scores, in its omission of any reference to Archbishop Viganò's own massive personal participation in the covering up of sexual abuse by bishops, and most profoundly in its hatred for Pope Francis and all that he has taught."[48] McElroy reiterated past charges against Viganò regarding his own handling of sexual abuse which he had previously disputed.[23] Contrary to Viganò's claims, a spokesman for Wuerl stated that he had never received any information from Viganò concerning restrictions on McCarrick.[83] On August 30, Wuerl wrote a letter to priests in the archdiocese saying, "We need to hold close in our prayers and loyalty our Holy Father, Pope Francis. Increasingly, it is clear that he is the object of concentrated attack."[84]

All of these above-mentioned clerics were criticized in the letter by Viganò.[85]

Involvement of Marco Tosatti

After the letter was published, Italian journalist Marco Tosatti claimed that he had helped Viganò write and edit the letter. Tosatti stated that Viganò "had called him a few weeks ago out of the blue asking to meet, and then proceeded to tell him the information that became the basis of the testimony." When they met, Viganò brought a draft of the document, and then Tosatti helped Viganò rewrite and edit it. Tosatti said the reason Viganò wrote the letter now was that "77 is an age where you start preparing yourself ... he couldn’t have a clear conscience unless he spoke." After the document was completed, Tosatti located publications that were willing to publish the letter: the Italian daily La Verità, the English-language National Catholic Register and LifeSiteNews, and the Spanish website InfoVaticana.[86]

Follow-up letter and response from Cardinal Ouellet

On September 27, 2018, Viganò released a follow-up letter (dated September 29). In this letter, Viganò explained why he had broken the "pontifical secret" by publishing his first letter. He criticized Francis for not having responded directly to the original letter, but instead having compared his critics to Satan. Viganò stated that it was Cardinal Marc Ouellet who had informed him of the sanctions that Benedict XVI had allegedly placed on McCarrick, and urged Ouellet to publicly confirm this claim.[87][88] He restated that on June 23, 2013, he had told Pope Francis "how perverse and evil McCarrick was in his intentions and actions," but stated that despite this knowledge, "the pope made McCarrick one of his principal agents in governing the Church."[87] He wrote, "Neither the pope, nor any of the cardinals in Rome have denied the facts I asserted in my testimony."[88]

On October 7, Cardinal Ouellet replied to Viganò in a public letter.[53][89] He confirmed that during the papacy of Benedict XVI, McCarrick "had been requested not to travel or to make public appearances", but he insisted that these restrictions should not be seen as "sanctions" or "formally imposed", referring to them rather as "conditions and restrictions that he [McCarrick] had to follow on account of some rumors about his past conduct." He defended the decision not to impose formal sanctions on him, stating that this was a matter of "prudence" as there was not yet sufficient evidence to implicate him. Ouellet also confirmed that in 2011, he had "verbally" told Viganò about the restrictions on McCarrick. However, he argued that as these were not formal sanctions, Viganò's letter was "false" for claiming that Benedict imposed sanctions on McCarrick which Francis subsequently lifted.[53] In other passages, Ouellet called Viganò's accusations "far-fetched," "blasphemous," "incomprehensible," and "abhorrent."[89]

Nevertheless, many journalists and analysts have pointed out that, even if Ouellet has denounced the archbishop, he confirmed in substance one of the Viganò's key claims:[90][91] Restrictions, even if non-canonical penalties, were imposed on McCarrick because the Vatican authorities were not only aware of the accusations but believed them to be true.[92]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Biography of Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò," Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land
  2. 1 2 "Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò". Catholic Hierarchy. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  3. ↑ Allen, John L. (26 January 2012). "Vatican denies corruption charges attributed to U.S. nuncio". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  4. ↑ "Influential prelate said Vatican should drop Euro, author reports". Catholic World News. 25 July 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  5. ↑ Ivereigh, Austen (2014). The Great Reformer. Macmillan. p. 343. ISBN 9781627791571.
  6. ↑ Squires, Nick (23 May 2012). "Vatican newspaper editor accused of gay smear against rival". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  7. ↑ Nuzzi, Gianluigi (2015), Merchants in the Temple, New York: Henry Holt and Company, p. 25
  8. ↑ "Dichiarazione della Presidenza del Governatorato dello Stato della Citta del Vaticano". 4 February 2012.
  9. ↑ Winfield, Nicole (26 January 2012). "Vatican official warns pope of corruption". Seattle Times. Associated Press.
  10. 1 2 Allen Jr., John L. (February 17, 2012). "Five questions about the Vatican's leaks scandal". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  11. ↑ Allen, John L. (27 September 2011). "New nuncio is no stranger to politics". National Catholic Reporter.
  12. ↑ "Parla Viganò: "Non sono il corvo e non agisco per vendetta. Voglio solo che la verità emerga" - Aldo Maria Valli". aldomariavalli.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2018-08-30.
  13. ↑ Pullella, Philip (March 13, 2014). "In Vatican shake-up, Pope redefines role of second-in-command". Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  14. ↑ Tosatti, Marco. "The secret report Benedict wrote for Francis". Vatican Insider. Retrieved 29 August 2018. Lorenzo, who lives in Chicago, says in the interview that he is fine, and has not spoken with his brother for two years, due to "tensions on account of our inheritance." And he says, "it is very serious that Carlo Maria has written falsely to the Pope, instrumentalizing me for personal ends."
  15. ↑ "Il comunicato dei fratelli Viganò" (PDF). 28 August 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  16. 1 2 "Viganò siblings refute against false statements by Fr Lorenzo against Archbishop". Scribd. 30 August 2018. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
  17. ↑ Wooden, Cindy (19 October 2011). "Pope names Archbishop Vigano new nuncio to the U.S". Catholic News Service.
  18. ↑ Allen, John L., Jr. (14 February 2012), "Bishops are not 'Obama haters,' Dolan insists", National Catholic Reporter, retrieved 8 September 2018
  19. 1 2 Yuen, Laura; Cox, Peter (July 21, 2016). "Did the Vatican halt an investigation into former Twin Cities Archbishop Nienstedt?". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 O'Loughlin, Michael J. (August 26, 2018). "Viganò's accusations: What we know and what questions they raise". America. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 Winfield, Nicole (August 26, 2018). "Pope on McCarrick claims: "I won't say a word about it."". The Kansas City Star. Associated Press. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  22. 1 2 3 4 Brian Roewev (July 21, 2016). "Memo: Vatican nuncio quashed sexual misconduct inquiry of Archbishop Nienstedt". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  23. 1 2 "Viganò issues new statement, documents to clear his name of false charges". LifeSiteNews. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
  24. ↑ Jalsevac, John. "Nienstedt English Final". www.documentcloud.org. LifeSiteNews. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
  25. ↑ Jalsevac, John. "MIO RAPPORTO a Card OUELLET 13 11 14". www.documentcloud.org. LifeSiteNews. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
  26. ↑ Jalsevac, John. "LETTERA E EMAIL Bp PICHE a Card OUELLET 20 11 14". www.documentcloud.org. LifeSiteNews. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
  27. ↑ "Archbishop Nienstedt: New allegations of sexual misconduct 'entirely false'". Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  28. ↑ Goodstein, Laurie; Perez-Pena, Richard (20 July 2016). "Minnesota Priest's Memo Says Vatican Ambassador Tried to Stifle Sex Abuse Inquiry". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  29. 1 2 Montagna, Diane (August 27, 2018). "Viganò issues new statement, documents to clear his name of false charges". LifeSiteNews. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  30. 1 2 "Father Griffith Responds to Archbishop Vigano's Statement". Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. August 29, 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  31. 1 2 "Bishop Cozzens' Statement Regarding Review Board for Bishops". Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. August 31, 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  32. ↑ Horowitz, Jason (2 October 2015). "Archbishop at Center of Mystery of Papal Meeting With Kim Davis". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  33. ↑ Piece, Charles (1 October 2015). "Was Pope Francis Actually Swindled Into Meeting Kim Davis?/The Papal Chase". Esquire. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  34. ↑ Ambrosino, Brandon (5 October 2015). "The Shady Group That Played Pope Francis". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  35. ↑ Montagna, Diane (August 31, 2018). "EXCLUSIVE: Viganò reveals what really happened when Pope Francis met privately with Kim Davis". LifeSiteNews.
  36. ↑ "The Man Who Took On Pope Francis: The Story Behind the Viganò Letter". The New York Times. August 28, 2018.
  37. 1 2 3 4 Horowitz, Jason (September 2, 2018). "Defending Pope Francis, Vatican Allies May Strengthen Viganò's Hand". The New York Times. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  38. ↑ Winters, Michael Sean (September 2, 2018), "Viganò's latest statement part of concerted campaign to attack papacy", National Catholic Reporter, retrieved September 8, 2018, That conversation was on background but I have asked the cardinal's permission to put it on the record now given Viganò's latest statement, and he agreed to do so.
  39. ↑ "Vatican Envoy Who Invited Kim Davis to Papal Meeting Retires". The New York Times. Associated Press. April 12, 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  40. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Pentin, Edward (August 25, 2018). "Ex-nuncio accuses Pope Francis of failing to act on McCarrick's abuse reports". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  41. 1 2 Viganò, Carlo Maria (August 22, 2018). "Testimony". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  42. ↑ "Pope Francis accepts resignation of Cardinal McCarrick". Vatican News. July 28, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  43. ↑ Sisak, Michael R. (June 20, 2018). "Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, former archbishop, removed from ministry after sex abuse reports". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. Archived from the original on June 20, 2018. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  44. ↑ Heyboer, Kelly; Sherman, Ted (July 17, 2018). "Here's how much N.J. Catholic dioceses paid to alleged McCarrick sex abuse victims, report says". NJ.com. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  45. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Horowitz, Jason (August 26, 2018). "Pope Francis Long Knew of Cardinal's Abuse and Must Resign, Archbishop Says". The New York Times. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  46. ↑ Pope Francis failed to act on US abuse claims, says former Vatican envoy
  47. 1 2 Condon, Ed (August 26, 2018). "Former nunciature official: 'Vigano said the truth'". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  48. 1 2 Rezac, Mary (August 27, 2018). "Vigano testimony receives mixed response from US bishops". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  49. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Goodstein, Laurie; Horowitz, John (September 1, 2018). "Why Was He Allowed at Gala Events?". The New York Times. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  50. ↑ https://insidethevatican.com/magazine/culture/people-march-2012/
  51. 1 2 3 Hitchens, Dan (August 31, 2018). "Pope Francis and McCarrick: where does the evidence lead?". Catholic Herald. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  52. ↑ Shaw, Joseph (August 29, 2018). "Why we know Vigano's testimony is not just credible, but obviously true". LifeSiteNews. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  53. 1 2 3 Pentin, Edward (October 7, 2018). "Cardinal Ouellet Writes Open Letter to Archbishop Viganò". National Catholic Register. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  54. ↑ Editorial (3 September 2018). "The Guardian view on the Catholic crisis in the US: out in the open". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  55. ↑ Pentin, Edward (September 1, 2018). "Archbishop Viganò Responds to Videos of Papal Meeting, Speech". National Catholic Register. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  56. ↑ "President of U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Renews Commitment for Greater Effectiveness and Transparency in Disciplining Bishops". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website. August 27, 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  57. ↑ Burke, Daniel; Flores, Rosa (August 30, 2018). "Growing Catholic insurgency threatens top cardinal in Washington". CNN. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  58. ↑ Douthat, Ross (August 28, 2018). "What Did Pope Francis Know?". The New York Times. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  59. 1 2 Schmitz, Matthew (August 27, 2018). "A Catholic Civil War?". The New York Times. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  60. ↑ "Full text of Pope Francis' in-flight press conference from Dublin". Catholic News Agency. August 26, 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  61. ↑ "'I will not say one word on this': Pope on his alleged knowledge of abuse by cardinal". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Toronto. August 26, 2018. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
  62. ↑ Inés San Martín (August 27, 2018). "On charges of McCarrick cover-up, Francis tells reporters to do their jobs". Crux. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  63. ↑ "'No more apologies': Pope's visit fails to soothe Irish fury over abuse". CNN. Atlanta. 2018-06-20. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
  64. ↑ Allen Jr., John L. (August 27, 2018). "Making sense of McCarrick cover-up charges against Pope Francis". Crux. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  65. ↑ https://onepeterfive.com/prerogative-pope-peronism/
  66. 1 2 "Statement from Bishop Thomas John Paprocki Regarding the Testimony of the Former Apostolic Nuncio". Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. August 28, 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
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  68. ↑ Brockhaus, Hannah (September 3, 2018). "Pope Francis says response to division should be silence, prayer". Crux. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  69. ↑ Bacon, John (September 3, 2018). "Pope: Answer those who 'only seek scandal' with silence, prayer". USA Today. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  70. ↑ "Pope Francis: the Great Accuser is trying to uncover sins to cause scandal". The Catholic Herald. September 11, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  71. ↑ "Statement from Bishop Thomas Olmsted Regarding Archbishop Viganò's Recent Testimony". Diocese of Phoenix website. August 27, 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  72. ↑ "Untitled Facebook post". Facebook. August 26, 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  73. ↑ "Bishop Strickland's Public Statement to the Diocese". Diocese of Tyler website. August 26, 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  74. ↑ Westen, John-Henry (August 26, 2018). "Cardinal Burke responds to former US nuncio's explosive letter about Pope Francis". LifeSiteNews. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  75. ↑ Rubenstein, Steve (August 29, 2018). "Cordileone says archbishop's call for Pope Francis' resignation 'must be taken seriously'". SF Gate. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  76. 1 2 "Statement from Bishop Robert C. Morlino" (PDF). Diocese of Madison website. August 27, 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  77. ↑ "Archbishop Coakley's Response to Viganó Testimony". Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. August 28, 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  78. ↑ Schneider, Athanasius (August 27, 2018). "Reflection on the 'Testimony' of Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò". National Catholic Register. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  79. ↑ "Statement in Response to "Testimony" of Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, Former Apostolic Nuncio to the United States". Archdiocese of Newark website. August 27, 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
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  81. ↑ "Cardinal Cupich responds to scathing letter by former top church official, defends record". WGN-TV website. August 27, 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  82. ↑ "Cupich dismisses Viganò claims as a 'rabbit hole'". Catholic News Agency. August 28, 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  83. ↑ Flynn, J.D. (August 25, 2018). "Wuerl denies he was informed of Vatican restrictions on McCarrick". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  84. ↑ "Cardinal Wuerl's Aug. 30 letter to priests". Catholic Standard (Archdiocese of Washington). August 30, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  85. ↑ Montagna, Diane (August 25, 2018). "Pope Francis covered up McCarrick abuse, former US nuncio testifies (OFFICIAL TEXT)". LifeSiteNews. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
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  89. 1 2 Horowitz, Jason (October 7, 2018). "Cardinal Pens Scathing Letter to Archbishop Who Accused Pope of Cover-Up". The New York Times. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  90. ↑ Rocca, Francis X. (2018-10-07). "Vatican Denounces Accusation Against Pope but Confirms Key Point". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2018-10-12.
  91. ↑ "Seven Notable Points From Cardinal Ouellet's 'Viganò Letter'". National Catholic Register. Retrieved 2018-10-12.
  92. ↑ "Viganò & Ouellet: What have we learned about the McCarrick case?". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 2018-10-12.
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
Paul Fouad Tabet		 Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria
3 April 1992 – 4 April 1998		 Succeeded by
Osvaldo Padilla
Preceded by
Pietro Sambi		 Apostolic Nuncio to the United States
19 October 2011 – 12 April 2016		 Succeeded by
Christophe Pierre
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
Salvatore Boccaccio		 — TITULAR —
Archbishop of Ulpiana
3 April 1992 – present		 Incumbent
Preceded by
Francesco Monterisi		 Delegate for Pontifical Representations
4 April 1998 – 16 July 2009		 Succeeded by
Luciano Suriani
Preceded by
Renato Boccardo		 Secretary-General of the Governatorate of the Vatican City State
16 July 2009 – 3 September 2011		 Succeeded by
Giuseppe Sciacca
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