Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò has responded vigorously to Pope Leo's open letter to the Superior General of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX).
By Dorothy Cummings McLean
LifeSite News
July 1, 2026
Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò has responded vigorously to Pope Leo's open letter to the superior general of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX).
In an X post published in Italian this morning, Viganò took issue with the Pontiff's letter, recalling the "seamless garment" theology of other American prelates. He may have also invoked a principle of canon law regarding emergency provisions: " Omnia parata sunt ad nuptias," that is, "everything is prepared for the wedding."
"In the imminence of the episcopal Consecrations of Écône, when 'omnia parata sunt ad nuptias,' comes the pathetic communication with which Leo reminds the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X that 'to tear the seamless tunic of Christ is a sin of extreme gravity' (one wonders if it is the same seamless tunic [Ed: garment] of Bernardin and Cupich - passed to the same Prevost - to downgrade and legitimize the abominable crime of abortion...)," he wrote.
Nell'imminenza delle Consacrazioni episcopali di Ecône, quando "omnia parata sunt ad nuptias", giunge la
la patetica comunicazione con la quale Leone ricorda alla Fraternità San Pio X che "lacerare la Tunica inconsutile di Cristo è un peccato di estrema gravità" (viene da... pic.twitter.com/E72LbLD4Vb- Arcivescovo Carlo Maria Viganò (@CarloMVigano) June 30, 2026
The former papal nuncio also contrasted Leo's attitude towards the SSPX to his recent celebration with the "schismatic" Patriarch of Constantinople, the head of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
"On the same day he signed this letter, Leo communicated 'in sacris' with a schismatic, the patriarch of Constantinople, during the Pontifical Mass of Saints Peter and Paul in St. Peter's Basilica," Viganò observed.
The archbishop, who himself was excommunicated during the pontificate of Francis, also sarcastically observes that by threatening the SSPX with excommunication only for the episcopal consecrations, Pope Leo is willing to tolerate the Society's rejection of the doctrinal novelties of Vatican II and the Mass of Paul VI, i.e., the Novus Ordo Mass.
"This is Leo's appeal: 'Return to your senses ! I exhort you to carefully consider the spiritual good of the faithful, because the schismatic act you would commit would deprive them of the licit reception and in some cases even the valid reception of the Sacraments that they love and seek for their own sanctification," Viganò wrote.
"So now it would be the episcopal consecrations without a mandate that constitute a 'schismatic act,' while everything else would pose no problem at all, including the rejection of Vatican II and the Montinian Mass. Good to know... But which Prevost should we believe ? The author of this letter or the one from the interview at Castel Gandolfo in which he spoke of the 'fundamental elements' of Vatican II that cannot be called into question?"
However, Archbishop Viganò sees a silver lining. He believes that the excommunication will "bring about a providential and healthy 'reset'" and also that it is "part of the unveiling of the [end] times":
"In any case, Leo can't wait to excommunicate us all ! The excommunication and the loss of all the privileges granted by Bergoglio to the Fraternity - including the approval of diaconal and priestly ordinations regardless of the local ordinary's will - will bring about a providential and healthy 'reset,'" he wrote.
"Even this, with a supernatural gaze, is part of the unveiling of the [end] times. 'For nothing is hidden that will not be revealed, nor is anything secret that will not be known to all.'"
This article was originally published on LifeSite News.