Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò’s The Capital Schism defends the Society of Saint Pius X, arguing that the SSPX’s disobedience can be justified when defending the perennial teachings of the Catholic Church. Frank Wright examines Viganò’s distinction between the Pope’s possession of the authority of the papacy and his proper exercise of that authority. According to Viganò, the offices of teaching, sanctifying, and governing are being distorted through the dissemination of errors, changes to Catholic liturgy, and the promotion or punishment of various Church figures.
Viganò argues that the modern concept of a synodal papacy represents a departure from the Catholic understanding of the papal office. The document makes a theological appeal to Scripture, apostolic succession, and the writings of St. Paul. Viganò does not claim the Church’s perennial teachings have changed; he presents the current crisis as a distortion in how Church authority is being exercised.
