Pope Leo’s praise of alleged pedophile priest draws fresh criticism from Abp. Viganò
Editor’s note: Some of the expressions used in this article are disturbing. Reader discretion advised.
(LifeSiteNews) — Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò has accused leaders of the “Synodal Church” of deliberately advancing the normalization of sodomy through LGBT initiatives, warning that the process is intended to transform Catholic doctrine and practice.
On July 25, Viganò on X in response to a pro-LGBT pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Francis in Assisi, Italy, arguing that the “Synodal Church” is following a deliberate agenda to normalize homosexual behavior within the Catholic Church. The former apostolic nuncio to the U.S. claimed that “sacrilegious Masses and pilgrimages” are being authorized as part of a broader effort to reshape Catholic teaching on sexuality, the priesthood, and sainthood.
READ: Fr. James Martin to lead ‘LGBTQ Catholic history’ pilgrimage this fall
https://x.com/CarloMVigano/status/2080991315915858372
“The adherents of the Synodal Church – following the same pattern seen in the civil sphere in all states subject to the globalist elite – have been ordered to normalize sodomy,” Viganò . “They are not satisfied with legitimizing or decriminalizing individual behavior, but even seek to ‘canonize’ it.”
“This is why they authorize sacrilegious Masses and pilgrimages,” the archbishop explained. “They do not merely want the priesthood to be accessible to sodomites and transgender individuals; they are also preparing to canonize some homosexual pedophile.”
“In this context, one can understand how the controversial figure of Fr. Milani (praised by both Bergoglio and Prevost) is ‘perfect’ – so to speak – as a symbol of redemption for modernism and sodomy,” Viganò wrote, concluding: “They will rely on anti-discrimination laws to obtain not only women’s access to the priesthood, but also the imposition of trans and gay priests.”
Viganò’s latest intervention brings renewed attention to Father Lorenzo Milani, an Italian Catholic priest whose legacy faces scrutiny over claims of sexual impropriety with children. Living through the aftermath of fascism, Milani opposed what he called “class privilege,” founding the School of Barbiana – in the small Tuscan village of the same name – for children from poor and rural backgrounds to gain access an education they might otherwise not receive.
However, in a controversial letter, Milani described his intense affection for his students in explicitly sexual terms (cf. Giorgio Pecorini, Don Milani! Chi era Costui? Baldini&Castoldi, 1996, p. 386-391): “How could I explain that I love my parishioners more than the Church and the pope? And that, if there is any risk I run for my soul, it is certainly not that of having loved too little, but rather of loving too much (that is, of taking them to bed with me!),” Milani wrote.
“And anyone who does not teach this way will never be a true teacher; it is useless for him to argue about confessional versus non‑confessional schools, and useless for him to worry about filling his school with holy cards and edifying speeches, because people do not believe those who do not love. And it is useless for him to try to keep atheist teachers out of the school.… And who could ever love the boys to the bone without ending up putting it up their […], if not a teacher who, together with them, also loves God, fears Hell, and desires Heaven?” the letter continues.
Shortly after his election, Pope Leo XIV, on June 12 last year, referred positively to Milani while receiving the clergy of the diocese of Rome in audience: “In recent times we have had the example of holy priests who have been able to combine a passion for history with the proclamation of the Gospel, such as … Fr. Lorenzo Milani, prophets of peace and justice.”
Later that same year, on October 11, Pope Leo again praised Milani while receiving pilgrims from the dioceses of Tuscany and recalled that Pope Francis described the priest as “a witness and interpreter of social and economic transformation.”
READ: Pope Leo’s ‘miracle baby’ arrested in double shooting case
Milani came from a well‑known, upper‑class family of Jewish origin, with firmly socialist and liberal views, and with acquaintances that included figures such as Sigmund Freud and James Joyce; moreover, his family reportedly had frequent contacts with Soviet intelligence.
The cleric was known as the “priest without a parish,” because he was removed and exiled to to the small Tuscan village of Barbiana by Cardinal Elia Dalla Costa. Milani said he accepted that exile “even though it was obvious to everyone that I was being confined there as a queer and a demagogic, quasi‑heretical agitator, and perhaps even a confessed one, since I had not reacted” (cf. Lettere alla mamma, 1973, no. 84).
Though Milani never addressed sexuality or gender issues directly – his era predated the ongoing LGBT agenda – some progressive groups later associated him with LGBT advocacy because of his broader defense of marginalized groups and his challenge to institutional exclusion.
Archbishop Viganò’s remarks followed his recent criticism of Jesuit Father James Martin, whose promotion of the LGBT agenda within the Church has generated longstanding controversy among Catholics. Earlier this week, Viganò sharply criticized Martin over his advocacy for the ordination of men with deep-seated homosexual desires, and reiterated his longstanding claim that influential networks within the Church are working to change Catholic teaching on sexuality.
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