The Vatican defrocked a priest for accusing Pope Francis of heresy

The Vatican has taken a harsh disciplinary measure, permanently defrocking Spanish priest Francisco José Vegara Cereso. The priest was punished following public statements questioning the legitimacy of Pope Francis’s pontificate and accusing the head of the Catholic Church of heresy. This was reported bySign of the Cross Media.

According to the case file, the investigation was conducted by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The conflict escalated following the publication of a 20-page “Manifesto in Defense of Catholic Doctrine,” in which Vegara Sereso sharply criticized Pope Francis’s key initiatives. In particular, the former priest condemned the declaration *Fiducia supplicans*, concerning the blessing of same-sex couples, and also criticized the pontiff’s remarks on religious diversity.

In addition to doctrinal disagreements, the cleric insisted that Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation was legally invalid. Based on this position, Végara asserted that the 2013 conclave was invalid and that the Holy See remains, in fact, vacant. Despite attempts by the diocesan leadership to resolve the situation after the priest was removed from his posts in early 2024, Vega Sereso refused to change his convictions and filed an official complaint accusing the pope of apostasy, which led to the Vatican’s final verdict.

As a reminder, we previously reported that the Vatican had taken decisive action against the traditionalist “Society of St. Pius X” (SSPX), officially declaring a schism after the group ordained four new bishops without the consent of the Pope.