An Italian priest has been excommunicated for schism, but he rejects the charge. Father Leonardo argues that he has remained faithful to Catholic doctrine, morality, liturgy, and the teachings handed down through the Church. He did not abandon Catholicism or embrace heresy. He continued preaching traditional Catholic teaching and opposing what he sees as deviations that have become tolerated within parts of the Church.
Father Leonardo supports Archbishop Viganò’s analysis in The Capital Schism, arguing that the present situation represents a reversal of the traditional understanding of schism. Elements of the current hierarchy, he contends, have departed from the faith, liturgy, and ecclesial constitution received from the apostles. The charge of schism has been turned upside down.
Frank Wright presents Father Leonardo’s case as an example of the defense of traditional Catholic teaching—and a warning. If a priest can be excommunicated for refusing to abandon what the Church has always taught, what does that say about the institution doing the excommunicating? The question is no longer whether faithful Catholics will be punished. It is whether anyone will notice who is really in schism. The answer may determine the future of the Church.
