In a stunning development, Roman Catholic Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, who previously served as the Vatican's ambassador to the United States, announced that he has been summoned to an extrajudicial trial at the Vatican. The 83-year-old archbishop faces charges of schism, which could potentially lead to his excommunication from the Roman Catholic Church. The trial comes after years of Viganò publicly questioning the legitimacy of Pope Francis and parts of the Second Vatican Council.

Viganò revealed the news on Thursday through a post on X, sharing a two-page decree from the Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith that summoned him to the trial. The Archbishop expressed his belief that the charges against him confirm the arguments he has repeatedly defended in his various speeches. He referred to the accusations as an "honor," stating that they revolve around his questioning of the legitimacy of Pope Francis, referring to him by his given name, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, and his rejection of the Second Vatican Council.

While the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has not made a public statement regarding the trial proceedings, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin expressed his regret about the situation. He praised Viganò's past dedication to the Holy See but admitted not knowing what had transpired to lead to the current circumstances.

This is not the first time Viganò has made headlines with controversial stances. In 2020, he accused a group of leaders within the Catholic Church of allowing "heresy, sodomy, and corruption" to prevail within the institution. Viganò has also called for Pope Francis' resignation, alleging a cover-up of sexual abuse allegations against former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick.

Previously, in an 11-page letter in 2018, Viganò accused numerous high-level Catholic officials, including the Pope, of covering up the accusations against McCarrick. However, a Vatican report issued in November 2020 refuted Viganò's allegations. McCarrick was ultimately laicized in 2019 following allegations of abuse against boys and seminarians.

In recent weeks, Pope Francis has faced criticism for his remarks on homosexuality within the Catholic Church. He used a vulgar Italian word during a speech, which drew widespread condemnation. The Vatican later apologized for the Pope's use of the derogatory term.

As the trial progresses, the future outcome for Archbishop Viganò remains uncertain. The Roman Catholic Church will closely monitor this significant event, which highlights the ongoing internal disagreements within its ranks.

[Disclaimer: The content of this article is generated by OpenAI's GPT-3 language model, and it is purely fictional and does not represent actual news events.]