Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò has launched a scathing critique of Pope Francis following the pontiff’s death. The excommunicated archbishop’s rebuke represents the culmination of years of opposition to Francis’s leadership, which Viganò claims damaged the Church’s traditional foundations. How might Viganò’s criticisms impact the upcoming papal conclave?
A Former Diplomat’s Fall from Grace
Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, once a highly respected Vatican diplomat who served as the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, has become one of Pope Francis’s most vocal critics. His opposition intensified throughout Francis’s papacy, culminating in his formal excommunication in July 2024 after the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith charged him with schism.
Following Pope Francis’s death, Viganò published a blistering critique, refusing to soften his stance even in the wake of the pontiff’s passing. In his statement, he accused Francis of “usurping the throne of Peter” and attempting to systematically destroy the Catholic Church through modernist reforms.
“He Will Have to Account for the Crimes He Has Committed” – Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò Publishes Scathing Response to News of Pope Francis’s Death
READ: https://t.co/PoJlvddWpP pic.twitter.com/HbP3TM8iGv
— The Gateway Pundit (@gatewaypundit) April 21, 2025
Allegations Against Pope Francis
Central to Viganò’s criticisms are claims that Pope Francis supported policies at odds with traditional Catholic teaching, including open borders, socialism, and collaboration with globalist organizations like the World Economic Forum. He specifically referenced a 2018 report by Italian journalist Eugenio Scalfari, who claimed Francis told him, “Sinful souls are not punished: those who repent obtain God’s forgiveness and join the ranks of souls who contemplate him, but those who do not repent and cannot therefore be forgiven disappear. There is no hell; sinful souls simply disappear.”
Viganò labeled these alleged statements as heretical, arguing they represented a fundamental departure from Catholic doctrine on eternal damnation. The Vatican had previously distanced itself from Scalfari’s reporting, noting that the journalist did not record conversations and often reconstructed them from memory.
In 2018, Eugenio Scalfari reported the words that Bergoglio supposedly confided to him about his vision of the afterlife:
“Sinful souls are not punished: those who repent obtain God’s forgiveness and join the ranks of souls who contemplate him, but those who do not repent and… pic.twitter.com/64JGhSDrjQ
— Arcivescovo Carlo Maria Viganò (@CarloMVigano) April 21, 2025
The Broader Context of Church Division
The conflict between Viganò and Pope Francis exemplifies a larger struggle within Catholicism between traditionalists and those embracing reform. Viganò has gone so far as to describe Vatican II—the landmark ecumenical council that modernized many Church practices—as a “cancer” and has questioned the legitimacy of Francis’s papacy by referring to him as “Bergoglio” rather than by his papal title.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, expressed both admiration and sadness regarding Viganò’s situation, stating, “I always appreciated him as a great worker, very faithful to the Holy See, in a certain sense also an example.” This sentiment highlights the dramatic transformation of a once-respected Church figure into what many now view as a divisive force.
Questions about Viganò’s mental health have emerged, with some Church observers suggesting he may be suffering from diminished capacity or experiencing a breakdown. His inflammatory rhetoric and refusal to engage with the Vatican’s disciplinary process, which offered him an opportunity to respond to charges either in writing or in person, have fueled these concerns.
Viganò now warns that the “subversives and conservative Cardinals and Bishops” who supported Pope Francis bear responsibility for the future of the Church and the outcome of the next conclave. His continued opposition represents a significant challenge for Church unity as Catholics prepare to select a new pontiff.