The Vatican excommunicated former Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò on Thursday after he was found guilty of “schism”.

Schism, the abandonment of obedience to the Pope or the departure from the communion of Catholics who submit to the head of the Vatican, is one of the greatest crimes in Catholic canon law because it is seen as a threat to the unity of the church.

The Vatican's Secretariat for Doctrine and Faith said the ruling was due to Viganò's “refusal to recognize and submit to the Supreme Pontiff, to refuse communion with the members of the Church subordinate to him, and to reject the validity and pontifical authority of the Second Vatican Council,” CBS News reported. report.

According to CBS News, the former archbishop has accused the Vatican of covering up sexual abuse and called the Pope a “servant of the Devil” and a “false prophet.” He is now isolated from the church and cannot receive communion or other sacraments. (Related: Report: Pope repeats 'son of a bitch' remark after initial apology)

Viganò did not participate in the Vatican trial because he believed the institution that brought it was illegitimate: “I do not recognize the authority of the tribunal that purports to try me, nor of its prefect, nor of those who appointed him,” he wrote in a June letter. statement.

The pope also called the accusation an “honor” in the same statement in which he reaffirmed his rejection of Vatican II, which he called “an ideological, theological, moral and liturgical cancer, and (Francis') 'Synodal Church' its inevitable metastasis,” according to CBS News.

+++ Breaking News +++ Archbishop #Vigano He was excommunicated. pic.twitter.com/RGKGh52Bz1

— Rudolf Gehrig (@RudolfGehrig) July 5, 2024

Viganò resigned in 2016 before going public with sexual abuse allegations against top Catholic Church leaders in 2018 and calling on the pope to step down, according to CBS News.