Following a letter from Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò that said Pope Francis knew of the coverup of sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church, had given comfort to a "homosexual current" in the Vatican, and should therefore resign, Providence Bishop Thomas J. Tobin has called for the pope to be investigated.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Following a letter from Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò that said Pope Francis knew of the coverup of sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church, had given comfort to a "homosexual current" in the Vatican, and should therefore resign, Providence Bishop Thomas J. Tobin has called for the pope to be investigated.

"I need to emphasize that I do not have any privileged information about this matter, nor do I have the facts necessary to come to a definitive, impartial judgement," Bishop Tobin said in a statement emailed late Thursday. "Nonetheless, the allegations lodged by Archbishop Viganò involving Pope Francis are substantive, and need to be investigated in a prompt and just manner.

"The future direction of the Church, its spiritual welfare, and the faith of God’s people, are at stake," he added.

The letter has drawn attention to the fault line in the church present since the beginning of Francis' papacy in 2013. Many who have protested the pontiff's more inclusive vision of church doctrine and his move away from issues of abortion and homosexuality have said that he should resign.

"The current firestorm in the Catholic Church sparked by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò’s letter containing accusations against our Holy Father, Pope Francis has caused several members of our diocesan family to ask for my reaction on the matter, which has prompted these thoughts," said Bishop Tobin in the email.

Tobin concluded: "In the meantime, I remind myself and the faithful of the Diocese of Providence that Pope Francis is the duly elected Bishop of Rome. He is the Vicar of Christ, our Supreme Pastor, and our spiritual father. Regardless of our perception of current events, the Holy Father needs and deserves our respect, our prayers and our affection, now as much as ever. Members of a family do not abandon their father, even in difficult times."

For the church's conservatives, Vigano's 11-page manifesto, published on Sunday, is a courageous denunciation of sexual abuse coverup and corruption. For Francis' reformist supporters, it's an angry diatribe from a homophobic bishop embittered that he never got the cardinal's red hat he so craved.

Both sides, however, agree that Vigano's accusations require a response given that, as the former chief Vatican diplomat in the U.S., he was in a position to know certain information.

In his letter Vigano accused a long list of U.S. and Vatican officials — including Popes Benedict XVI and Francis — of covering up for ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the retired archbishop of Washington, whose penchant for sleeping with seminarians was apparently an open secret in some church circles for over a decade.

Francis last month removed McCarrick as a cardinal and ordered him to a lifetime of penance and prayer after a U.S. church investigation determined an allegation that he groped a teenage altar boy in the 1970s was credible.

The Vatican has declined to comment on the letter beyond Francis' remarks Sunday night, when he was asked by a reporter on a flight home from Ireland if Vigano's claims were true.

"I think the text speaks for itself, and you have sufficient journalistic ability to draw conclusions," he said. "If time passes and you've drawn your conclusions, maybe I'll speak."

With reports from Nicole Winfield of the Associated Press