Archbishop levels 'extraordinary' allegations
as Catholic Church leader visits Ireland and 'begs for God's forgiveness'.
A senior Vatican official called on Pope Francis
to resign, accusing the pontiff of failing to act sooner on sexual abuse
allegations against former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick.
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| Pope Francis |
In an 11-page statement, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano said
sanctions imposed on McCarrick by Pope Benedict XVI over sexual misconduct were
lifted under Francis, despite reports about his "gravely immoral behaviour
with seminarians and priests".
Vigano said he informed Francis in person in
2013 of the sanctions and how McCarrick, ex-archbishop of Washington,
DC, "corrupted generations of seminarians and priests".
Pope Francis "continued to cover" for McCarrick despite
the sanctions and even made him "his trusted counsellor", Vigano
alleged.
"In this extremely dramatic moment for the universal church,
he must acknowledge his mistakes and, in keeping with the proclaimed principle
of zero tolerance, Pope Francis must be the first to set a good example for
cardinals and bishops who covered up McCarrick's abuses and resign along with all
of them," he said.
The Vatican
had no immediate comment on the allegations.
'Betrayal'
Vigano, 77, a conservative whose hardline anti-gay views are well
known, has long been seen as a critic of Pope Francis, who is viewed as more
moderate.
His letter also contained a lengthy diatribe about homosexuality
and liberals in the Catholic Church.
Colm O'Gorman, an author, activist, and church abuse survivor,
said the letter from Vigano was a "fairly shocking development".
"In the 2,000-year history of the church, no senior church
official has ever come out and called on a pope to resign," O'Gorman told
Al Jazeera.
"I think we need to be careful because Vigano has an agenda
of his own. There's an ideological battle going on inside the church - that's
part of what's at play here… I am surprised it's emerged from such a high level
within the hierarchy of the church. But it's something the Vatican is going to
have to respond to."
Vigano's criticism came as Pope Francis made a two-day visit to Ireland, where
he addressed sex abuse scandals and "begged for God's
forgiveness" for the "betrayal" by the church.
On Sunday, Pope Francis told tens of thousands of people gathered
in Dublin: "None of us can fail to be moved by the stories of young people
who suffered abuse, were robbed of their innocence and left scarred."
Francis met privately on Saturday with eight victims of clerical,
religious and institutional abuse, saying he would seek greater commitment to
eliminate the "scourge".