Pope Francis Excommunicates Former Vatican Ambassador to the US, Carlo Maria Vigano, for Causing a Schism

The Vatican announced that it has excommunicated the priest who served as its top diplomat to the US, with Pope Francis banishing former Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, who has been increasingly becoming pro-Donald Trump and causing a schism in the Roman Catholic Church with his extremist right-wing and culture war views.

Vigano previously served as the Vatican's Ambassador to the United States from 2011 to 2016. He was formally accused last month of schism, which is described as "the refusal of submission to the Supreme Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him." It is regarded as one of the most serious offenses in canon law.

According to The Daily Beast, Vigano had been one of Pope Francis's biggest critics within the Roman Catholic Church as he refused to recognize the Argentinian pontiff's authority for years, often attacking him in public forums.

"His public statements manifesting his refusal to recognize and submit to the Supreme Pontiff, his rejection of communion with the members of the Church subject to him, and of the legitimacy and magisterial authority of the Second Vatican Council are well known," a press release from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith read. This confirms that the former Archbishop has been found guilty of his crimes.

Pope Francis has gone after the ultra-conservative and far-right Roman Catholics in the United States, previously blasting them as having "a very, strong, organized, reactionary attitude," accusing them last year of replacing faith with "ideologies."

Vigano has become more and more infamous amid the radicalization of many Catholics in the US, calling for the pope to resign and accusing him of being a "servant of Satan." He has also been a very vocal supporter of Donald Trump, the convicted felon former US president who was found liable for rape and caused an insurrection on January 6.

What Would Excommunication Mean for Pope Francis Critic Carlo Maria Vigano?

With his excommunication, Vigano is now formally outside communion with the Church. This means the former Vatican ambassador to the United States cannot celebrate or receive its sacraments. His excommunication is considered a "medicinal" penalty and is declared in the hope those who incurred it would repent and come back into communion.

The Vatican can lift Vigano's excommunication, according to the Associated Press. However, the former archbishop, whose rhetoric has been amplified on Catholic social media and by like-minded far-right bloggers on both sides of the Atlantic, has so far been unrepentant.

Pope Francis Says World's Democracies Are 'Not in Good Health'

Meanwhile, Pope Francis himself expressed concern about the state of the world's democracies during a visit to the northern Italian city of Trieste, according to The Sun.

"Let's be honest: in today's world, democracy is not in good health," he said during his speech, stressing the importance of participation in democratic processes, such as voting, adding that "Indifference is a cancer for democracy."

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: BREAKING NEWS | Former US nuncio excommunicated & found guilty of schism - ROME REPORTS in English