Archbishop Santo Marciano, the head of Italy’s military chaplaincy, has denounced Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano for encouraging military personnel to resist Covid vaccination.

“Don not let yourselves be confused or discouraged in carrying on with your mission,” Archbishop Marciano wrote in a letter to military personnel. He dismissed the “conspiracy-theory outbursts” by Archbishop Vigano, along with his “denigrating campaigns against Pope Francis.”

Covid vaccination is mandatory for the Italian military and police.