Had Viganò’s detractors performed due diligence before publicly shutting down Viganò’s report, they would have discovered that Viganò is in fact not the first to accuse Francis of abusing seminarians. Just as a case is strengthened when additional witnesses can substantiate the allegation, so too is Viganò’s claim already corroborated by a separate report that Francis abused a Jesuit novice in Córdoba. In 2015, on the occasion of Francis’ visit to the United States, an Argentine Jesuit disclosed at dinner with two priests in Chicago that he had knowledge of allegations describing how Francis sodomized a novice positioned on a chair. Investigators who later contacted the Jesuit and the others present at that dinner confirmed the graphic details of the abuse allegation.
Francis has also faced scrutiny for his close relationships with renowned homosexual Argentinian churchmen like Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, convicted predator Bishop Gustavo Zanchetta, and convicted serial abuser Father Julio César Grassi; as well as with gay clerics like Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio who attended a drug-fueled orgy inside the Vatican, and Monsignor Battista Ricca who is known for having had a live-in boyfriend and frequenting gay hangouts. An investigation could reveal whether any of these clerics were likewise groomed by or had sex with then-Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio and today are “passing the tradition on.” By advising Viganò to “keep your mouth shut,” some journalists in the Catholic media world may prefer not to know the answer.