Posted: July 8, 2023
Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò isn't just a far-right culture warrior or conservative critic of Pope Francis: He's one of two Catholic bishops who has moved on to full-blown U.S. Christian nationalism. And now he's claiming Pope Francis isn't the real pope.
In July, Viganò tore into the pope on social media -- comparing Francis to the Antichrist, calling him "enslaved to woke ideology," and claiming that if he's a pope, he's "certainly not the Catholic one."
Ever since Viganò's first unfounded call for Pope Francis's resignation in 2018, he has been called "deeply troubled," "profoundly disturbed," and "extremely immoral" by Vatican watchers. His latest rant targets Pope Francis's support for immigrants and his Christian love for LGBTQ people.
Viganò is also known for joining Tyler, TX, Bishop Joseph Strickland at a pro-Trump, Christian-nationalist "Stop the Steal" rally building up to January 6, 2021. He has even addressed the MAGA movement's ReAwaken America Tour, where Michael Flynn called him a personal mentor.
The extremism does not stop there. Earlier this year, Viganò put out a statement praising dictator Vladamir Putin and endorsing the invasion of Ukraine, calling Russia "the last bastion of civilization against barbarism."
More than a few bishops have supported Viganò in the past. Now that Viganò is once again undermining the pope, these bishops face a choice: Publicly denounce Viganò, or become complicit in his attacks on both democracy and Pope Francis.
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Love thy neighbor.