Archbishop Viganò and the Schismatic’s Pride

The chief of all the seven deadly sins is that of pride. It is pride which caused Lucifer to be cast out of Heaven and declare, in the words of Milton, “Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.” It is pride which the world celebrates this month of June — pride made flesh in the act of sodomy, in a hellaciously hideous parody of humility being made flesh in the Incarnation of Christ. The great Doctor of the Church St. Augustine explicated, “It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels.”

Pride is not merely one extreme on a spectrum, with humility being the other extreme. Rather, pride is a perversion of humility, a fall from it. Pride is much more nearly the base of a mountain, wide and easily accessible, whereas humility is the mountain’s peak, achieved only by long, hard labor and great determination. It is therefore a mistake to believe that only one sect might engage in pride, that only the champions of sodomy and those who openly ally themselves with Hell may find this vice in their hearts. (READ MORE from S.A. McCarthy: Cardinal Castigates ‘Cafeteria Catholic’ Joe Biden)

All may find themselves guilty of pride, and many of us do, though often in the little things in life, those things which are suited to our stations and roles in life. But there are, of course, those whose station in life is lofty, who are entrusted with tremendous responsibilities. Christ Himself explained, “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more” (Luke 12:48).

Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, the former papal nuncio to the United States, is one of those to whom much has been entrusted. Over the course of his career, Viganò has lived out a deep love for the Catholic Church, for her eternal and perennial teachings, for her majesty and grandeur, for her liturgy and rites. Famously, Viganò revealed in 2018 that he had repeatedly warned the Francis pontificate of the danger and depravity of homosexual serial rapist and then-cardinal Theodore McCarrick. In his letter, Viganò warned of a homosexual subculture that threatened to strangle the Church he loved so dearly.

It is perhaps understandable if the Italian prelate began to consider himself a great defender of Christendom, a noble protector of the Catholic Church. And indeed, his office demanded such of him. But pride does not turn angels into devils by promising them the miseries of Hell. Since 2018, Viganò has become a harsher, more aggressive, and more myopic critic of the Francis pontificate, clearly establishing himself as a sort of alternative pope.

In fact, what clearly began as a deep love for the Catholic Church has degenerated in Viganò into nothing more than hatred for Pope Francis, with the customs and traditions of the Church not as an end but rather as trappings of this adopted end. The archbishop’s loathing has extended so far as to doctor photos of the Pope draped in gay pride flags and claim, with no basis other than hearsay, that Francis has himself raped young men.

Now, inevitably, Viganò has been charged with the crime of schism. The Pope has summoned him to the Vatican to face the consequences of his actions. But like Milton’s Satan, Viganò remains defiant. “I consider the accusations leveled against me as a reason for honor,” the archbishop wrote. This is not to say that Viganò is a Satanic figure, of course, but he may prove to be a Luciferian one. He has attempted to usurp the role of the pontiff, implicitly declaring himself to be the true head of the Catholic Church, the true Vicar of Christ, the truest of the Apostles, when the Catholic Church has declared — under the guidance of God the Holy Ghost — otherwise.

St. John stood at the foot of Christ’s cross, comforting the Blessed Virgin Mary, while St. Peter publicly and repeatedly denied that he even knew the Man whom he had just revered as the Son of the Living God. Yet John did not challenge Peter’s authority, he did calumniate Peter, he did not attempt to usurp his role as the rock upon which Christ built His Church. St. Padre Pio, now recognized as one of the greatest Saints of the 20th century, was initially sanctioned by the Vatican, forbidden from celebrating Mass publicly, writing letters, and even contacting his spiritual director. Yet he behaved as an obedient son, not railing against what he easily could have called unfair or unjust persecution, but instead submitting humbly to the will of the Church. (READ MORE: In Defense of the Sacred Heart)

Much of what Viganò has said over the years has been good, noble, edifying, and even encouraging for Catholics who feel lost amidst the rapid changes of the past decades. But, as Pope Leo XIII observed, “The worst kind of heretic is the one who, while teaching mostly true Catholic doctrine, adds a word of heresy, like a drop of poison in a cup of water.” Viganò may not, perhaps, be charged with heresy, but with its equally-evil twin, schism. For all the good he has said, for all the good he has done, his pride has poured poison into the cup of water he could have offered to Catholics thirsting for truth, for heroism, for an example of fidelity to the Church in troubled times.

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