Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, who from 2011 to 2016 was the Vatican’s representative in the United States, has called for the arrest of Pope Francis in a rant on X. Viganò has long been a fierce enemy of the Pope.
The Crux of the Problem
Viganò’s outrage was sparked by the resurfacing of a 1998 book written by then-priest, now-Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández. The book Mystical Passion: Spirituality and Sensuality discusses how couples might find God through sex.
Viganò’s Problem
“The blasphemous sewer regurgitations of Tucho’s repulsive pamphlet show such a level of perversion and alienation to the Faith as to demand the expulsion … of the Argentinean and his accomplices,” Viganò wrote on Jan 8. The Argentinean refers to the Pope, who was the first Pope from Latin America.
Arrest These Men
“The Swiss Guards have sworn to defend the See of Peter, not the one who is systematically demolishing it,” Viganò continued. “Let them, therefore, be faithful to their oath and arrest these heretical perverts!”
The Perversion in Question
In the book, Fernández wrote “graphically, and with some authority, on the difference between male and female orga..ms. He was concerned, in particular, with how one could find God in a partner’s orga..m,” according to a recent article in the Catholic Herald. In the article, the author argues that Fernández “shares the same presuppositions about sex as esotericists and those who practice (dark) magic.”
The Holy Presence
According to Fernández, God “can make himself present when two human beings love each other and reach orga..m; and that orga..m lived in the presence of God, can also be a sublime act of the presence of God.”
Retractions
On Jan 8, Fernández admitted that he “certainly would not write [the book] now.” He explained that he has since written “much more serious” books and has attempted to repress Mystical Passion.
What He Was Trying to Say
Fernández explained that he was trying to help couples “understand the spiritual meaning of their relationships.” He later realized that the book “could be misinterpreted.”
The Real Problem
Conservatives had already set their sights on Fernández in December after the Cardinal’s department — the successor to the Roman Inquisition, overseeing doctrinal issues — gave Catholic priests permission to bless same-sex couples. The move was part of Pope Francis’s more open approach to members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Traditionalist Anger
In 2020, Viganò accused Pope Francis of heresy for his “legitimization of homosexuality,” which he claimed was “part of the agenda of the New World Order.” Viganò said there was a “gay lobby” and “deep church” wreaking havoc on the Catholic church.
Sound Familiar?
The language, which Viganò has used on multiple occasions, echoes that of Trump’s. In 2020, Trump shared a letter from Viganò to him, in which the Archbishop warned that “the children of darkness,” or the deep state, were “fiercely waging war,” in part by using Covid in a massive “operation of social engineering” to push “God out of the courts, out of schools, out of families, and perhaps even out of churches.”
Unfounded Claims
“The archbishop did not offer proof to support the claims in his letter,” the Catholic News Agency reported.
Fury at Tolerance
“Look at … Bergoglio’s audiences with transsexuals, well-known homosexuals, and cohabiting lovers,” Viganò wrote on Jan 8. “Can anyone seriously believe that there is no coherence in this cesspool of vices and perversions with what Tucho wrote in 1998?” Bergoglio is a reference to the Pope’s birth name.
Open Arms
The Pope has refused to respond to Viganò’s numerous attacks over the years. In December, Pope Francis announced that Catholic priests could bless same-sex couples as long as the blessing did not resemble marriage. “Those seeking a blessing should not be required to have prior moral perfection,” Francis’s letter said. In February, the Pope said, “No one is scandalized if I give the blessing to an entrepreneur who perhaps exploits people — and this is a very serious sin. While he is scandalized if I give it to a homosexual …. This is hypocrisy!”
Widespread Support
While Pope Francis is relatively more liberal than traditional Catholics in his attitude towards the LGBTQ+ community, his opinion and the Catholic opinion in general is still a minority in the US. According to Gallup, over 70% of Americans believe same-sex marriage should be recognized as valid and have the same rights as traditional marriage.
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