I’ve noticed in the many, many interviews and articles by Carlo Vigano that he is essentially proposing a different version of Catholicism than has been taught by the Church … ever. It is a new version of the Catholic religion. And it seems to have the following features:

1. The Roman Pontiff, in Vigano’s version, is not the head of the Church. He is someone to be feared and opposed; each Pope since Vatican II is treated as at least thoroughly unreliable in teaching and discipline, if not an outright heretic or idolater. Vigano’s Church has no head, except Vigano himself

2. Vigano is the only source of never-failing faith in his own version of Catholicism. He presents himself as the supreme teacher and supreme shepherd of the faithful. That is why he issues so many documents. He thinks he is guiding and teaching the entire Church on earth, because the Roman Pontiffs have supposedly all gone astray by following Vatican II. Vigano is an antipope in every way except that he does not claim the title of Pope, only its role.

3. In Vigano’s version of religion Ecumenical Councils, Popes, and the body of Bishops are all capable of entirely departing from the faith by apostasy or heresy or schism or idolatry. They are not to be trusted. Their teachings are to be compared to the ideas in the conservative Catholic subculture (and on the very far right of that subculture, certainly). And the subculture is to prevail over Popes, Bishops, and Councils.

4. Therefore, the Magisterium has been replaced by a subculture and its few leaders, of which Vigano is the noisiest — not the smartest, not the leader with the most followers, not the most insightful — just the one who makes the biggest splash by saying the most outrageous things. So Vigano’s Church is led by him, has no Pope, no Councils, no body of Bishops — just a scattering of schismatic Bishops who can’t agree among themselves, with Vigano pretending to be their Pontiff.

5. Vigano does not want a pre-Vatican II Church. He does not accept the teachings of Vatican I on the Roman Pontiff, nor the teachings of Florence and Lyons II and past Popes on the indefectibility of the Church, nor the teaching of the Council of Trent on the equality before God of all those children by spiritual adoption who are in the state of grace — those who are baptized Christians, on the one hand, and those non-Christians who were baptized by implicit desire on the other hand. So the religion of Vigano is not an older version of Catholicism, but rather a version of Catholicism invented by him, which has never existed before.

6. His version of religion fears science, government, large corporations, medical authorities, and yet stands in judgment over these as well. His version of religion by denies the pandemic and yet rejects the vaccines needed to fight it. In place of science and reason, Vigano substitutes conspiracy theories. And these are treated like doctrines of religion.

7. Vigano spreads his false religion by means of certain few far-right Catholic outlets. Without them, he would have no platform at all. He has no flock. He lives in hiding. He is literally afraid that the Antichrist might be in the world today. He thinks the Church has been taken over by Satan and by freemasons, since the time of Vatican II and esp. since the election of Pope Francis.

8. Vigano utterly rejects the authority of Francis as the successor of Peter, as the Supreme Teacher and Supreme Judge of all the faithful. He also rejects communion with all the Bishops who follow Francis and who accept Vatican II, which is a rejection of the Apostolic College along with the Successor of the Apostle Peter.

9. Vigano claims, in a new interview at LSN, that the Virgin Mary was responsible for his “conversion” — not to Christianity or Catholicism or a new level of devotion in the former, but his “conversion” to his rejection of Vatican II and the post Vatican II Church. This is indirect blasphemy, as it attributes to the Mother of God the sins of schism and heresy.

Instead, Mary says this to the children of the Church:
{Jn 2:5} His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
meaning do whatever Jesus tells you through the Church, do whatever Jesus tells you through the Popes and the body of Bishops and the Councils. Disobedience is of Adam and Eve AFTER the Fall; true obedience is of the new Eve, Mary. Nothing that Vigano preaches is of Mary.

10. Lastly, the religion of Vigano has backed itself into a theological corner. He is in hiding, so is his religion. It has nowhere to go.

* No Roman Pontiff has ever rejected a past Pope-approved Ecumenical Council. No future Pope will reject Vatican II.

* Every time any person or group has rejected a Council, they have turned out to be schismatics and heretics.

* No Roman Pontiff is going to reject all the Popes from John 23 to Francis I, along with Vatican II.

* No Roman Pontiff is going to reject The First Vatican Council, the rejection of which is absolutely necessary to accomplish the rejection of Vatican II and its Popes.

There is no way forward for Vigano. He can prattle on through ultra-conservative websites about how wrong he thinks the Church is, but he is no different in that respect from Catholics on the far left, who want the Church to preach whatever secular society currently teaches. Vigano is a lost soul. He is a living Judas Iscariot, who has betrayed the Church founded by the Savior. He has no flock. Even the schismatics and heretics at LifeSiteNews treat him like their crazy old uncle, whom no one in the family trusts with sharp knives or little children.

What Vigano preaches is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is not Christianity or Catholicism. He has invented his own religion, and it makes less sense than the pagan religions of ancient Greece or Rome. Those who follow him are the blind being led by the blind into a pit. A fiery yet dark pit; a prison without bars.

The true Gospel is love of God and neighbor. There is no single exact form of worship for the religion of love that is true Catholicism. There is no hatred of non-Catholics, no rejection of the Shepherds appointed by Christ, no fear of science or other religions. Love casts out all fear. True religion is based on love, not an exacting hateful subculture that has backed itself into a corner, alone and afraid.

Little children, trust the true Magisterium of the Roman Pontiffs and the body of Bishops. Do not accuse any Pope of grave error, nor make yourself judge over the Church. Have faith in the Church founded by Christ, which is still led by Christ. For Christ and His Vicar constitute one only Head, and so the rejection of any Vicar of Christ, of any Pope, must be a rejection of the Lord himself.

RLCJ