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| Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò |
Here is a copy of one of the letters that was addressed
to Pope Benedict XVI, on the 7th of July 2011, by
Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò. This is one of the letters, leaked to the press, which is apparently
at the heart of the allegations of corruption in the Vatican. When you have
read this, read my post titled, “Who Really Leaked The Letter Of Vatican Corruption?”
Vatican
City-State
Governorate
The
Secretary General
To
His Holiness
Pope
Benedict XVI
Vatican
City, July 7, 2011
Most Holy Father,
With
deep sadness and disappointment I have received from the hands of the Most
Eminent Cardinal Secretary of State the communication of the decision of Your
Holiness to appoint me Apostolic Nuncio in the United States of America. In
other circumstances, such an appointment would be a reason for joy and a sign
of great esteem and trust in my regard, but in the present context, it will be
perceived by all as a verdict of condemnation of my work, and therefore as a
punishment.
In
spite of the great damage to my reputation and the negative repercussions that
this provision will provoke, my response cannot be anything but full adherence
to the will of the pope, as I have always done during my other than brief
service to the Holy See. In the face of this harsh trial as well, I renew with
profound faith my absolute obedience to the Vicar of Christ.
The
meeting granted to me by Your Holiness last April 4 brought me great comfort,
as did the subsequent news that the pope had instituted a special Committee
"super partes," charged with clarifying the delicate matter in which
I have been involved; and thus it seemed reasonable to me to hope that any
provision in my regard would be taken only at the conclusion of the work of the
aforementioned Committee, in part so that punishment would not seem to be given
to the one who, out of the duty of his office, had brought to the attention of
his immediate superior, Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo, gravely deplorable actions
and behaviors that, moreover, His Excellency Bishop Giorgio Corbellini, deputy
secretary general, had in vain repeatedly reported and documented for the same
superior – long before my arrival at the governorate – and that, in the absence
of action on the part of the same cardinal, he had felt the need to report also
to the secretariat of state.
And
I was even more saddened to learn, following the audience with the Most Eminent
Cardinal Secretary of State last July 2, that Your Holiness agrees with the
judgment of my actions in the terms in which this was previewed last June 26 in
a blog post by Andrea Tornielli, namely that I am said to be guilty of having created
a negative climate at the Governorate, making relations more and more difficult
between the secretary general and the heads of the offices, so much so as to
make my transfer necessary.
In
this regard, I would like to assure Your Holiness that this does not at all
correspond to the truth. The other cardinal members of the Pontifical Committee
of the Governorate, who know very well how I have acted over the past two
years, could inform you with greater objectivity, not having a stake in this
matter, and easily prove how far from the truth is the information about me
that has been reported to you, which has been the motive for your decision in
my regard.
I
am also grieved by the fact that, unfortunately having to care personally for
an older brother who is a priest, seriously affected by a stroke that is
gradually debilitating him mentally as well, I should have to leave right now,
when I had expected to be able to resolve in a few months this family problem
that so greatly worries me.
Your
Holiness, for the reasons presented above, I turn to you with trust to ask you,
for the sake of my reputation, to postpone for the necessary time the
implementation of the decision you have already made, which at this moment
would appear as an unjust sentence of condemnation in my regard, based on
behaviors that have been falsely attributed to me, and to entrust the task of
exploring the real situation of this matter, which also sees two Most Eminent
Cardinals involved, to a truly independent body, for example the Apostolic
Signatura. This would allow my transfer to be perceived as a normal
replacement, and would also permit me to find a solution for my brother priest
more easily.
If
Your Holiness would grant me this, I would ardently desire, in honor of the
truth, to be able to provide you personally with the elements necessary to
clarify this delicate matter, in which the Holy Father has certainly been kept
in the dark.
With
profound veneration, I renew for Your Holiness sentiments of filial devotion,
in
Christ the Lord
+
Carlo Maria Viganò
Now, read my post titled “Who Really Leaked The Letter Of Vatican Corruption?”
