Archbishop Viganò sat in one of the front rows of the event and apparently took that message to heart. While he did not hide in private settings his distaste for Francis and the direction in which he was taking the church, his going public against the pope was another matter. People who have spoken with him in the last few weeks said he did not take the decision lightly.
“He is a diplomat who was taught to be silent his whole life,” said Marco Tosatti, the conservative journalist who helped him draft the letter accusing the pope. “And there was an oath that he broke doing this.”
But by being so outspoken, Archbishop Viganò has also essentially ensured his protection from censure. Punishing the archbishop now would fuel speculation Francis has something to hide.
Instead, Francis has relied on some outspoken American bishops and an army of progressive Catholics online to defend him. His most active lieutenant, Rev. Antonio Spadaro, the editor of a Jesuit journal, La Civiltà Cattolica, has in the past accused American conservative Catholic bishops of damaging the church by making common cause with American evangelicals to further political interests.
Much of the critique of Archbishop Viganò has been seen through this lens, and the pope’s supporters argue that any response would only give oxygen to critics who are less interested in the truth than in exploiting the sex abuse crisis to slow down Francis and his agenda.
On Sunday, Father Spadaro brought Rev. Federico Lombardi, a former papal spokesman, out of retirement and onto his journal, which is vetted by the Vatican Secretariat of State before publication. Father Lombardi immediately joined the fight, issuing a statement that same day claiming Archbishop Viganò had deceived the pope in arranging a private meeting in 2015 with Kim Davis, the county clerk in Kentucky who became a national icon for opponents of gay marriage.
The pope, however, has remained mum, preferring to let the Gospel do the talking.
“Jesus responds with silence before those ‘who wanted to throw him out of the city,’ ” he said during a Mass on Monday, adding that Jesus’ stance reflected a “silence that triumphs.”
Source : Nytimes
