A former Vatican ambassador to the U.S. said Sunday that he told Pope Francis in 2013 about allegations of sexual abuse against a prominent priest — and that Francis took no action. Now, the former official, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, is calling for Francis to step down. Vigano made the claims in a lengthy statement that concludes with a call for Francis’ resignation: “In this extremely
dramatic moment for the universal Church, he must acknowledge his mistakes and, in keeping with the proclaimed principle of zero tolerance, Pope Francis must be the first to set a good example to Cardinals and Bishops who covered up McCarrick’s abuses and resign along with all of them,” he writes. CBS News spoke on a video call to Vigano, who confirmed he wrote the statement and said he was speaking out now “to combat the grave situation in the church, to protect the church and also to stop future abuse.” He told CBS News producer Anna Matranga that he had no agenda and was stating facts. READ MORE