Powers wrote that it has “long been a tradition in the Diocese of Superior to honor the heritage of our Native Americans before major diocesan celebrations,” including at his installation as bishop in 2016. Viganò himself attended that event, Powers pointed out, adding that “never in the last eight years” had the archbishop expressed any concerns about it.
“I would have at least expected the courtesy of a prior contact before any alleged public accusations of promoting Shamanism,” the bishop wrote in the letter.
Arguing that Viganò’s rhetoric “does not befit an Archbishop of the Catholic Church” and that it “brings harm to the faithful” entrusted to his care, Powers requested “a public apology from [Viganò] to me and my people.” Viganò could not be reached for comment Saturday.
Alleged illicit ordination
The Vatican’s top diplomat to the U.S. from 2011 to 2016, Viganò made headlines in 2018 when he publicly accused Church leaders, including Pope Francis, of covering up the sexual abuse allegations against former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick.
The Italian archbishop made news again in 2020 when he penned an open letter to then-President Donald Trump expressing solidarity with Trump’s ongoing battles with the “deep state,” which the archbishop suggested had orchestrated the COVID-19 pandemic in a conspiracy to bring about a “New World Order” with the support of some Catholic bishops.
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