From Mark Shea on Facebook a couple of hours ago:
“The more I look at this, the sketchier it gets. A reader remarks:
‘The source - The National Catholic Register, reported by Pentin, regarding an alleged statement by Archbishop Viganò - claims:
“‘The cardinal was to leave the seminary where he was living,’ Viganò said, ‘he was also forbidden to celebrate [Mass] in public, to participate in public meetings, to give lectures, to travel, with the obligation of dedicating himself to a life of prayer and penance.’ Viganò did not document the exact date but recollected the sanction to have been applied as far back 2009 or 2010.”
How could this claim be true?
It’s rather easy to document McCarrick’s public ministry in those years. It includes a public benefactors mass (19 April 2009), being the primary celebrant for an ordination (16 Oct 2010), being a guest celebrant and homilist at a school (3 April 2011), ordaining Friars (14 June 2011), leading the American Christian Leadership Delegation to Iraqi Kurdistan (Nov 2012), and giving public interviews from Rome about Benedict’s resignation (14 Feb 2013). This was occurring while Benedict XVI was Pope (2005-2013) and Viganò was Nuncio (2011-2016). Are we to believe that Viganò had privately restricted McCarrick’s public ministry, while simultaneously turning a blind eye to McCarrick’s public ministry - including being involved in ordinations?!
I’d need A LOT of questions answered before I’d believe any of this.’
Yeah. Me too. Also, I don’t trust Pentin or Lifesite News. I would like some real journalists and some kind of corroboration of this before I buy it.”