The Roman Catholic Church has excommunicated one of its highest-ranking former diplomats, announcing in Rome on Friday that the former Vatican ambassador to the US, Carlo Maria Viganò, had been expelled. It said the expulsion was ordered because the 83-year-old Italian no longer recognizes the authority of Pope Francis and has caused division in the church. Following his departure from the diplomatic service, Viganò had made a name for himself through his support for various conspiracy theories and his wide-ranging criticism of the pope. The excommunication means the former bishop loses all hi…