"Finding Viganò" - Inside The Vatican

By Robert Moynihan

A year ago, I went in search of the “archbishop in hiding,” Carlo Maria Viganò. I found him, and we spoke over many days. A book based on our conversations went to press on the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel.

September 29, Feast of St. Michael the Archangel

A year ago, I went in search of the “archbishop in hiding,” Carlo Maria Viganò, and found him.

We spoke over many days. Our conversations were recorded. I then transcribed the tapes and started the work of preparing a book for publication. Our conversations then continued to the present.

Events I did not anticipate delayed the project. Then the coronavirus appeared, and in the early spring my father fell ill and passed away.

The passage of a year meant that the archbishop continued to reflect. During the summer of 2020, I was able to reduce more than 2,000 pages of text to 400 pages, presenting what I felt was essential. I finished the book, sending it to press this morning, September 29, the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel.

I wished in my research, interviewing and writing to contribute in some way to a clarification of issues. The goal of the book is to accurately present the heart and mind of the archbishop. The archbishop has seen the text, and has told me he appreciates the work I carried out “con tutto il tuo cuore e la tua mente” (“with all your heart and mind”).

The composition of this work was my own, the choice of what to include and leave out was my own, and the limitations in the work — and I am well aware that there are many — are my own responsibility. The book will be published by TAN Books, publishers of many wonderful, traditional Catholic books. I wish to thank my editor, John Moorehouse, for his great support, and his wife, Robin, for reading the book before publication.

Printed copies should be available in about six weeks’ time. (Of course, all who pre-ordered the book several months ago will automatically receive it as soon as it is published.) The book is dedicated to my father. May his soul rest in peace, and may eternal light shine upon him.

The text below appears on the book’s dust jacket:

FINDING VIGANÒ: In Search of the Man Whose Testimony Shook the Church and the World

In 2018, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò released an eleven-page testimony that rocked the world. In it, he called out the corruption of the Church, especially with regards to its handling of the sexual abuse crisis—addressing most specifically the case of disgraced now ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick—and stunningly called for the resignation of Pope Francis. And then he was gone… at least physically.

In these pages, longtime Vatican journalist Robert Moynihan, publisher of Inside the Vatican magazine, brings to bear his vast experience in the corridors of power in Rome as well as his long-standing friendship with Viganò to produce a book that provides both an incisive look at the content of the “Testimony” itself and, through interviews conducted in-person with the archbishop at undisclosed locations, a personal look at the man whose conscience compelled him to speak out about the corruption in which the Church he loves, and to which he has given his life, has been mired for years.

I would like to invite every one of my readers to consider buying one or more copies of this book, which retails for $29.95. Order as many copies as you like at a 33% discount—from Inside the Vatican only—a $10 savings off the cover price. (Offer good until Dec. 31st. Think Christmas gifts! Must mention this offer to receive the discount.)

Also, for anyone who takes out a 3-year subscription (or subscription renewal) for himself or as a gift, at the special discounted price of $99.95 (equivalent to $33.32 per year), we will send a FREE copy of the book to you (if you would like to receive it) or to the gift subscription recipient, whichever you prefer. Let us know when you subscribe. (Offer good till Dec. 31st.)

I believe the book is interesting and fair and may help to put the present crisis in the Church into perspective.

To order a copy, either go to our website, insidethevatican.com, or, call our offices in New Hope, Kentucky on our toll-free line, 1-800-789-9494, and speak to one of our operators.

Also, in honor of my late father and of my many “spiritual fathers” in the Church, I would like to announce today the launch of a new project of Urbi et Orbi Communications, the non-profit publisher of this magazine, to try to “build bridges” between separated Christians through “common projects.”

We will follow in the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226), who at the age of 24 in 1205 heard the cross of San Damiano speak to him saying, “Francis, go, rebuild my Church, which as you can see is falling into ruins.”

The new project, entitled, “Go, rebuild my Church,” will be a type of “School of Formation” centered in Assisi, Italy, but reaching out to the entire world through the internet and virtual conferences and pilgrimages.

The project will be placed at the service of the bishop of Assisi, Domenico Sorrentino, under the patronage of Blessed Carlo Acutis, a young Italian computer programmer who died at the age of 15 in 2006. His beatification in Assisi is scheduled for October 10 (see pp. 20-21 in this issue).

We are looking for a group of “Elders” who will become members and supporters of this project, which seeks to “Go, rebuild my Church” through seeking unity (unitas in Latin): unity between the Catholic and the Orthodox, unity between us in our time and those who came before us and will come after us in the faith, unity within our own souls between ourselves and God, in a project of ever-deepening reform and renewal of interior life.

In light of the coronavirus, the lockdowns, the closing of our churches, and the beatification in Assisi of Acutis — who reached out to young people around the world via the internet — we believe the time is now to launch this project. For more information, please call 202-536-4555.