A former senior Vatican official has been calling for the resignation of Pope Francis on accusations that the pontiff failed to make the necessary actions as sexual abuse allegations on the Catholic Church mount up.
Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, in his 11-page statement, said that sanctions imposed on former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick by Pope Francis' predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, over sexual allegations of "immoral behavior with seminarians and priests" were lifted by the current head of the Catholic religion.
Vigano went on to reveal in the said letter, which was published on Sunday via the National Catholic Register, that he personally informed Francis in 2013 about the sanctions. However, the pope reportedly "continued to cover" for the accused cleric and even went on to appoint him as one of his trusted counselors in the Vatican.
Moreover, Vigano said that McCarrick was commissioned by the Vatican to make mission trips to China and was supposedly involved in the 2014 US-Cuba talks, a report said.
The 77-year-old went on to reiterate the "proclaimed principle of zero tolerance" observed among the officials within the Vatican. According to him, Pope Francis should be "the first to set a good example for cardinals and bishops" who allegedly covered up McCarrick's sexual misconduct cases. He continued to say that the pontiff should "resign along with all of them."
Vigano served as the Vatican's ambassador to the US for five years, from 2011 to 2016. He is known for his conservative views against homosexuality which comes opposite to the advocacy of the reformist pope.
Meanwhile, a report from the Washington Post pointed out Pope Francis' comments on Vigano's accusations. According to the media outlet, Francis chose not to respond on the issue, leaving Vigano's lengthy statement to "speak for itself."
Francis, who granted a press briefing while on board a plane heading to the Vatican on Sunday, said that he did read about the text. However, he would let the reporters judge for themselves the veracity of the contents.
"It's an act of trust," the 81-year-old Jesuit priest said.
Pope Francis, the 266th Pope and sovereign of the Vatican City State, and his delegates recently wrapped up a two-day visit to Ireland for the World Meeting of Families.
A previous report from this site said that part of his itinerary was to meet the victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests.
A representative from the Vatican confirmed then that the Pope's primary goal to meet the sexually abused individuals was "to listen" to them and offer a prayer.
