The article by Vigano at LifeSiteNews is here.

The worldly spirit, the enslavement to concupiscence, and – what is even more grave – the refusal to fight against the Evil One have infected a large part of the Hierarchy of the Catholic Church, up to its highest levels, making it the enemy of God, His Law, and our souls. As has happened with civil authority, so also religious authority has abdicated its proper role, disowning the very purpose for which it was willed by Divine Providence.

The Church is indefectible; this is dogma. The claim that “a large part of the Hierarchy of the Catholic Church” is worldly and enslaved, and is the enemy of God is contrary to indefectibility. It might be barely defensible, by saying the “large part” is not the body of Bishops. But Vigano adds “up to its highest levels” clearly referring to Pope Francis. And this clarity is indisputable in light of Vigano’s past words about the Roman Pontiff.

The inclusion of the Vicar of Christ, in these assertions about the Hierarchy being “the enemy of God” is contrary to the dogmas of the indefectibility of the Church, the never failing faith of the Pope, the unblemished Apostolic See, and that Christ and His Vicar constitute one only Head of the one Church. A Pope can be in personal mortal sin. But he cannot be “the enemy of God, His Law, and our souls.” Neither can any Pope abdicate and disown the very purpose of the Church (while he is still Pope).

Carlo Vigano has again issued a public statement which is schismatic and heretical. He is obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin. He has utterly rejected the authority of Pope Francis and a large part of the Bishops. Since the body of Bishops supports Pope Francis as the true Pope, and Vigano has judged Francis to be, well, as stated above, it is hard to find an interpretation that does not condemn the body of Bishops with the Pope, in Vigano’s own words.

The one who sits in Rome is surrounded by immoral persons who wink at LGBTQ+ movements and hypocritically simulate a welcome and an inclusivity that betrays their choice of field and their sinful tendencies. There is no more courage; there is no more fidelity to Christ; and it has reached the point of insinuating that, if Bergoglio was able to change the doctrine on capital punishment – an unheard of and absolutely impossible thing – he will certainly also be able to make sodomy licit in the name of a charity which has nothing Catholic about it and which is repugnant to Divine Revelation.

Vigano continues to make his rejection of Pope Francis clear by calling him “Bergoglio” and “the one who sits in Rome” and by claiming that the Reign of the Antichrist is drawing near (it is not). Saying “there is no more fidelity to Christ” while speaking about the Pope is a denial of the dogma of the papal charism of never failing faith. Adding phrases like “nothing Catholic about it” shows Vigano’s complete rejection of the authority of the Pope.

When Vigano says “the mercenaries of the conciliar sect”, he seems to be condemning the recent Council, Vatican II.

“As a Successor of the Apostles and a Teacher of the Faith, in a spirit of true communion with the See of Most Blessed Peter and with the Holy Church of God, I address a severe warning to them, recalling that their authority derives from Jesus Christ, and that it has strength and value only if it remains oriented to the end for which He has constituted it.”

Now we come to a point of Canon Law as well as dogma. Vigano has committed severe manifest public schism and heresy, repeatedly at least since his accusations of apostasy against the Pope over the Human Fraternity document and the Abrahamic building related to it, in late 2019. Canon Law issues a sentence of automatic excommunication for schism and heresy

Canon 751: “Heresy is the obstinate denial or obstinate doubt after the reception of baptism of some truth which is to be believed by divine and Catholic faith; apostasy is the total repudiation of the Christian faith; schism is the refusal of submission to the Supreme Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him.”

Canon 1364, n. 1: “an apostate from the faith, a heretic, or a schismatic incurs a latae sententiae excommunication”

And as Saint Robert Bellarmine, Doctor of the Church, states: “This is the opinion of all the ancient Fathers, who teach that manifest heretics soon lose all jurisdiction.”

These words by Carlo Vigano about himself are false: “As a Successor of the Apostles and a Teacher of the Faith, in a spirit of true communion with the See of Most Blessed Peter and with the Holy Church of God….” Vigano has lost all his jurisdiction. He is automatically excommunicated for schism and heresy. He is not a successor to any Apostle, except Judas Iscariot. He is not a Teacher of the Faith — and it is arrogant for him to capitalize “Teacher” when referring to himself.

And Vigano is certainly not “in a spirit of true communion with the See of Most Blessed Peter”. By this expression, he seems to seek a distinction between Pope Francis, and the See of Peter. But the teaching of Vatican I is that Saint Peter “to this day and for ever he lives and presides and exercises judgment in his successors the bishops of the Holy Roman See”. Such a distinction is not possible. One cannot utterly refuse submission to the current Roman Pontiff, and condemn him in the harshest possible terms, with a complete denial of the presence of the papal charisms in him, and then claim to be in communion with the See instead of the Pope.

Vigano states he is “recalling that their authority derives from Jesus Christ, and that it has strength and value only if it remains oriented to the end for which He has constituted it.” But in fact Vigano’s own (now long past) authority derives not directly from Jesus Christ, but from the Roman Pontiffs, in succession. No Bishop has authority directly from Christ, and not through the Church Christ founded, and not through the Rock on which that Church is founded.

Vigano says: “Let these Shepherds consider the scandals which they cause to the faithful and the simple, and the wounds they inflict on the tormented ecclesial body – scandals and wounds for which they will have to answer to Divine Justice on the day of their Particular Judgment and also before the entire human race on the day of the Universal Judgment.” These words are aptly applied to Vigano himself, as he has viciously attacked the Roman Pontiff and the body of Bishops.

There are many such public expressions by Vigano over the past couple of years. He has done grave harm to the weak in faith. He has established himself as one of the foremost heretics and schismatics of the present day. He has no authority in the Church whatsoever. He is a Bishop only in the barest sense, as he has lost his jurisdiction and authority by automatic excommunication due to heresy and schism of the most severe type. He wears the mask of holiness while attacking the one holy Church. I do not see how he can avoid the fires of Hell without an exceedingly great repentance.

Ronald L Conte Jr

P.S. This article by Cardinal Ouellet is excellent reading on Vigano and Francis.