The "reserved" letter sent by the Vicariate to the priests who exercise their fuctions in Rome, to inform them about the reduction to the lay state of the Bishop Claudio Gatti

This letter, that had to be sent confidentially to the priests who exercise their functions in Rome, had the widest diffusion, because it was distributed also to seminarists, clerics, nuns and laymen and publicly exposed in many notice boards.
When a bishop suspends a divinis or reduces a priest to the lay state, does he make a so capillary and wide publicity as the Vicariate of Rome did with regard to the Bishop Claudio Gatti? From all this clearly emerges that the threat uttered by card. Ruini to our Bishop: "I will revenge and I will destroy him" was kept.
When God intervenes to turn over the situation of the Bishop Claudio Gatti and restore the truth, we won't wish to be in the place of those who unjustly condemned him and of those who accepted in silence the condemnation of an innocent, withdrawing pharisaically behind the excuse that the authority is always right.

Translation

Most Rev. Parish-priests, Rectors of Churches of the Diocese of Rome, all the priests residing in the Diocese itself and committed in the care of the souls or in some sort of pastoral function are confidentially informed that on last October 18 the Holy Father John Paul II - in the audience granted to the Prefect Cardinal of the Congragation for the Doctrine of the Faith - disposed the dismissal from the clerical state "ex officio et in poenam, cum dispensatione ab omnibus oneribus e sacris Ordinibus manatibus" of Rev. Don Claudio Gatti, of the Diocese of Rome.
This communication intends to stimulate the defence of the right conscience of the faithful, to which all priests are obliged.

+ Mons. Cesare Nosiglia
Vice-director