 It's considered particularly dangerous to the faith because it threatens the unity of the Church, which is built on obedience to the Pope. The Vatican's Doctrine Office imposed the penalty, citing what it called Vigano's refusal to submit to the Pope's authority and the legitimacy of the Second Vatican Council. In recent years, Vigano has endorsed conspiracy theories about coronavirus vaccines, appeared at far-right political rallies in the U.S., backed Russia in its war in Ukraine, and refused to recognize Francis as Pope. I'm Walter Ratliff.