Archbishop's supporters challenge Pope Francis and offer to be excommunicated
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The recent excommunication of Abp. Carlo Maria Viganò by Rome has further polarized the Catholic Church, leading to several Catholics expressing solidarity with Viganò by demanding their own excommunication.
Archbishop Viganò, a former papal ambassador to the US and a vocal critic of Pope Francis, was excommunicated by the Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) on July 4 after being found guilty of the "reserved delict of schism."
DEFIANT ARCHBISHOP
The prelate's refusal to participate in the judicial process on June 20, where he defiantly stated that he regarded the accusations against him "as an honor," had led to widespread anticipation of the excommunication.
"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 the legitimacy and magisterial authority of the Second Vatican Council are well known," the DDF statement declared.
Following his excommunication, the archbishop has continued to excoriate the Holy See on social media.
On July 9, Viganò accused the "Bergoglian sect" of orchestrating the "definitive deconstruction of the Catholic Priesthood, making it superfluous in practice," by "flanking it with non-ordained ministries that can also be conferred on women, and allowing lay people to preach."
TRADITIONALIST REVOLT
The Vatican's decision has sparked intense dissent within the predominantly traditionalist Catholic community, exposing already existing internal divisions regarding the legitimacy of Pope Francis' papacy.
Public figures such as Hollywood actor Mel Gibson, Bp. Joseph Strickland, podcaster Taylor Marshall, and media platform LifeSiteNews have openly voiced their support for the archbishop in response to this development.
On July 6, Gibson published an open letter praising Viganò's excommunication as a "badge of honor" from the "false post-conciliar church" and criticizing Pope Francis as a "total apostate."
Gibson expressed concurrence with Viganò's viewpoint on the illegitimacy of Francis and the Vatican II post-conciliar church, asserting his resolve to establish a Catholic Church focused solely on traditional worship.
Gibson further contended that Pope Francis lacks the authority to excommunicate Viganò due to his purported non-Catholic status, expressing solidarity and anticipation of potential excommunication from what he perceives as a "false church."
The Hollywood icon has had his reputation tainted by public outbursts of antisemitism. Gibson's father, Hutton, who attended seminary before dropping out, dismissed Vatican II as "a Masonic plot backed by the Jews."
Hutton gained notoriety for his Holocaust denial, famously stating: "It's all — maybe not all fiction — but most of it is." Gibson, who is known to share many of his father's views, apologized for a drunken antisemitic rant in 2006, during which he blamed the Jews "for all the wars in the world."
BISHOP'S BLAST
On July 6, Bp. Strickland, who had been removed from his position as bishop of Tyler, Texas by Pope Francis, publicly criticized Viganò's excommunication.
Strickland expressed concerns that rather than addressing the serious questions and allegations raised by Abp. Viganò, the Church chose to silence him by removing him summarily.
"It seems we are left with only stones to cry out for justice because the voices of faithful disciples are mute, ignored or even silenced," Strickland tweeted.
The bishop has vehemently denied allegations of sedevacantism, a belief within the Catholic Church suggesting that there has been no valid pope since the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958.
FRANCIS' LEGITIMACY
Various traditionalist writers and podcasters have taken to social media to denounce Pope Francis for Abp. Viganò's excommunication. Some have expressed that a significant number of Catholics echo Viganò's sentiments, raising questions about Pope Francis' legitimacy.
"I don't think Pope Francis and his circle are aware of just how many Catholics agree with Viganò's thesis," traditionalist podcaster Kennedy Hall tweeted. "I've met NO [Novus Ordo] attendees who think Francis is an anti-pope."
Posting on social media platform X, Matt Gaspers, managing editor of Catholic Family News, said that Viganò's "statements on Vatican II and the ecclesial crisis have been seismic & sorely needed."
Traditionalist influencer Taylor Marshall, who has been producing a series of videos following the prelate's excommunication, initiated a Twitter poll with the statement: "Catholics of goodwill are currently inquiring: 'If I endorse or express sympathy for Archbishop Viganò, does that imply that I am also subject to excommunication?'"
Anthony Stine, a traditionalist podcaster, posted a tweet questioning the potential legitimacy of excommunication by individuals who protect heretics, promote heresy unintentionally or intentionally, as claimed by defenders of Pope Francis, and advocate for the establishment of a new Synodal Church.
EXCOMMUNICATE HERETICS
On July 5, LifeSiteNews, a pro-traditionalist Catholic media outlet, initiated a petition titled "I stand with Archbishop Viganò." The petition raised concerns about the decisions made by DDF, particularly regarding the excommunication of Archbishop Viganò and the status of Marko Rupnik, a Slovenian priest accused of sexual abuse.
In addition, LifeSiteNews questioned the positions of senior clergy such as German Cdl. Reinhard Marx and Cdl. Jean-Claude Hollerich of Luxembourg, who hold heterodox views on issues such as homosexuality and women priests.
Furthermore, the petition highlighted the status of other prominent Catholics, including pro-abortion US President Joe Biden, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and pro-LGBT Jesuit Fr. James Martin, questioning their standing within the Vatican.
Meanwhile, Italian journalist Aldo Maria Valli has carried several letters on his blog from Catholics in Italy supporting the archbishop.
"The excommunication of St. Athanasius-Monsignor Carlo Maria Viganò will be a boomerang for the schismatic duo Bergoglio-Fernández, to whom we ask: excommunicate us all!" wrote Leonida Maria Tucci and Susanna Tucci.
Dr. Jules Gomes, (BA, BD, MTh, PhD), has a doctorate in biblical studies from the University of Cambridge. Currently a Vatican-accredited journalist based in Rome, he is the author of five books and several academic articles. Gomes lectured at Catholic and Protestant seminaries and universities and was canon theologian and artistic director at Liverpool Cathedral.
Mel Gibson does not need to establish a new Church because there is already the one, nämely SSPX. 👍✝️😎
What can you get with three faithful Catholic Bishops? A FOURTH Faithful Catholic Bishop. Come on boys get to work. (Wait they'll go after the Faithful Bishop who recently suggested that Biden should read up on catholic moral teachings.)
'My way or the highway.....um, to hell.'--- da Pope
'And dat goes double for youse Faithful Chinese Catholics, youse Faithful TLM-ers, youse Bishop Strickland-types, and youse pro-wall nationalists (except those within MY wall, of course)'.