Abp. Viganò Renews Critique of Vatican II as Root of Present Ecclesial Crisis, Comments on Benedict XVI

By Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, Catholic Family News, March 11, 2021

Editor’s Note: Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò has granted another wide-ranging interview, this time, to Radio Spada. In it, he quickly moves from the corruption in the Vatican to the doctrinal corruption he identifies as originating at the Second Vatican Council. He speaks at greater length about his conclusions concerning Pope Benedict XVI’s attempt to reconcile the Council with Tradition, and reaffirms with further details his conclusion that this attempt has failed.

The English translation of the interview and accompanying notes (those which appear in square brackets) are by Dr. Robert Moynihan and were first published by Inside the Vatican here. The interview itself, conducted in Italian, was originally published by Radio Spada here. Catholic Family News is grateful to Archbishop Viganò for sending us a copy of this new interview for posting on our website.

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INTERVIEW BY ARCHBISHOP CARLO MARIA VIGANÒ TO RADIO SPADA

Radio Spada: Good morning, Your Excellency, we thank you for the dialogue we will have. Let’s begin with Galleria neovaticana [the book title may be translated as “The Neo-Vatican Gallery”], a new book by Marco Tosatti for which you wrote the Preface. Allow us to tell you an anecdote: only a few hours after the news that the book was going to press, a Twitter post appeared, based only on the book’s cover and title, obviously, asking how much in keeping with the Gospel it was to print a volume dedicated to scabrous accusations and facts that are not always edifying. What would you answer to this objection?

Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò: Allow me to recall here that Benedict XVI, in the months preceding his decision to assume the singular title of “pope emeritus”, instituted a Commission of Cardinals, chaired by Cardinal [Julian] Herranz, and composed of Cardinals [Jozef] Tomko and [Salvatore] De Giorgi, with the task of carrying out a thorough investigation into the confidential information disseminated in the “Vatileaks” affair [in 2011]. On that occasion, I had to request of Cardinal Herranz more than once that I be allowed to add my testimony, since it was not his intention to question me even though I had been personally involved as the author of confidential documents intended for the Pontiff which were stolen and delivered to the press. I gave them a substantial dossier in which I set forth all of the dysfunctions [of the Roman Curia] and described the network of corruption that I had come to know about and that I had to face as Secretary-General of the Vatican Governorate. I accompanied that dossier of mine with cover letter in which, among other things, I wrote as follows. …