A group of academics and priests have accused Pope Francis of committing the canonical crime of heresy.
The group, which includes the prominent Dominican theologian Fr Aidan Nichols, have put their names to a letter arguing that the Pope has “denied truths of the faith”. They say that his words, when combined with his public actions, express "persistent" disbelief of Catholic doctrines about the moral law and divine grace.
They ask the world’s bishops to take action by admonishing the Pope, and – if he does not repudiate his alleged heresies – to “declare that he has committed the canonical delict of heresy and that he must suffer the canonical consequences of his crime.”
