Archbishop Viganò Has New Details on the Pope’s Controversial Meeting with Kim Davis

Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, who accused Pope Francis of covering up a cardinal’s sexual misconduct has come out with new detailed accusations that are putting increasing pressure on one pontiff who the archbishop and those who support him say misled the faithful and should immediately resign.

In a three-page statement released Friday by the conservative website LifeSiteNews, the archbishop detailed his version of events that lead up to the pope’s controversial meeting with Kim Davis in September of 2015. As you may remember, Davis was the Kentucky clerk who refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses. Viganò’s description contradicted that of the Vatican’s account of their private meeting, maintaining that Francis’ lieutenants lied to the public about the encounter with Davis, which “threatened to eclipse the pope’s entire trip to the Unites States that month,” according to the New York Times.

Read the original 11-page letter here: https://s3.amazonaws.com/lifesite/TESTIMONYXCMVX-XENGLISH-CORRECTED-FINAL_VERSION_-_G-2.pdf

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The archbishop had initially said he would turn off his phone and disappear into hiding, fearing for his safety, but writes he felt the need to come forward with more information after an article published by the New York Time last week quoted a Chilean abuse survivor, Juan Carlos Cruz where he claimed Archbishop Viganò sneaked Davis into the Vatican Embassy in Washington for the private meeting in 2015 and that the pope had no idea who Davis was or why she would be considered controversial.

Archbishop Viganò writes in the new letter: “One of them is lying: either Cruz or the Pope? What is certain is that the pope knew very well who Davis was, and he and his close collaborators had approved the private audience. Journalists can always check, by asking the prelates Becciu, Gallagher and Parolin, as well as the Pope himself.”

Archbishop Viganò claims he personally briefed the pope on September 23rd, 2015, and gave him a memo, which he provided to LifeSiteNews-summarizing the case of Ms. Davis. He claims the pope “immediately appeared in favor” of a meeting with Davis but seemed concerned of the political implications and asked the ambassador to clear it with Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, his his top adviser.

In the Washington hotel that night, Viganò says he was met instead by now-Cardinal Angelo Becciu, who at the time was Francis’ chief of staff, and also the Vatican’s foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Gallager.

Archbishop Viganò said he provided them with the letter and after verification that the meeting presented no legal obstacles by Archbishop Gallagher, he “gave an unconditionally favorable opinion that the pope should receive Davis.”

Archbishop Viganò writes that early in the afternoon of September 24th, the pope “entered as planned” into a sitting room to meet Ms. Davis, then “embraced her affectionately, thanked her for her courage and invited her to persevere.”

Pope Francis’ message of inclusivity was immediately sidelined when the news of the meeting leaked out to the media. The Vatican’s press office stressed no meeting with Ms. Davis in private had ever occurred, instead the Vatican decided to highlight Francis’ meeting with a gay former student and his partner at the Washington Embassy.