From Reuters:
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Supporters of Pope Francis have rushed to his defense after a former top Vatican official launched an unprecedented attack on him, a move they say dangerously escalates a campaign to weaken his papacy by conservatives who condemn him as too liberal.
Francis’ supporters say the accusations in Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano’s 11-page public statement aim to pave the way for a conservative pope to succeed him who would reverse his openings to divorced and homosexual Catholics. Supporters say the statement contains holes and contradictions and point to the fact that Vigano wrote it with a journalist who has been critical of Francis as evidence that it forms part of an ideological anti-Francis strategy, which the journalist denies.