Italian Priest Calls Pope Francis 'Anti-Pope Usurper,' Gets Excommunicated

An Italian priest named the Rev. Ramon Guidetti was punished by his bishop following his remarks against Pope Francis in his New Year's Eve homily.

ANSA first reported on the news, saying that Guidetti was delivering his sermon to a congregation at St. Ranieri's Church in Guasticce, a town in the Tuscan province of Livorno on the occasion of the first death anniversary of Francis's predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI.

In a video of the 20-minute homily, the priest referred to Francis as "Mr. Bergoglio," after the Argentinian pontiff's former name, Jorge Mario Bergoglio. He further described the pope as "a Jesuit Freemason linked to world powers, an anti-pope usurper."

Don Guidetti went on to say that, unlike his predecessor - whom he described as "good Benedict" - Francis had a "cadaverous gaze, into nothingness," given the multiple the pope allegedly allowed the watering down of Catholic doctrine in his decade in the papacy.

The pope recently drew both praise and criticism for his decision to approve blessings for same-sex couples despite Vatican doctrine chief Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernandez clarifying that blessing same-sex couples "does not validate or justify" their relationships.

Bishop Excommunicates Don Guidetti

The congregation that listened to Guidetti burst into applause, but the response to his rhetoric was swift.

The Guardian reported that Bishop Simone Giusti of Livorno issued an excommunication decree on the priest, saying that he "publicly committed an act of a schismatic nature" and ordered him to be "removed from the office of parish priest of St Ranieri in Guasticce." The bishop also warned other priests "not to participate in any of his celebrations or other cult practices" as they might also suffer a similar fate.

Guidetti has been known locally to make anti-Francis remarks in the past, and said that he was proud to have been excommunicated, adding that it was "a mark of pride to be out of this church, which is a tyranny."

"I am calm," he told Radio Domina Nostra, a radio show hosted by Alessandro Minutella, another priest who was excommunicated after attacking Francis. "But [I was] astonished at the speed at which the guillotine came down. I will frame the decree and hang it on the wall - it will be something I will boast about."

Some of the pontiff's detractors believe that his appointment was invalid because of Benedict's abdication in 2013.

Francis has been plagued by sickness in recent years and has often alluded to his own future resignation and funeral plans. When asked about his health in an interview in September, he quipped: "[I am s]till alive... although some want me dead."

Tags

Vatican, Italy, Catholic church, Holy See, Pope Francis