I have read numerous statements that support the integrity of Abp. Vigano, and a number of articles that show that there is nothing about his claims that cannot be true. On the other hand, I have not read one comment to refute them (unless you consider the idea that, "plastic in the ocean is a greater concern", to be an actual argument). That does not guarantee its truthfulness, but it does tell us that the devil is at work and we must work even harder than he.
Therefore, "is it time?" Given that there is always evil seeking to destroy what is good, we should always be praying against it (like when we say the prayer to St. Michael at the end of Mass). Therefore, yes, it is time to pray the imprecatory Psalms. We do need, however, to be cautious that we are not doing so with selfish hatred in our hearts. Even King David in Psalm 139 (an imprecatory Psalm) says that he "hates" his enemies with a "perfect hatred". We could paraphrase that by referring to it as a "mature" or "pure" hatred. In other words, he is saying that his "hatred" is not tainted by sinful desires or selfish foolishness. That is what we need to have when we pray an imprecatory prayer; a pure "hatred" of the sin and desire for righteousness.
It may seem that these Psalms are difficult to reconcile with the Christian idea of prayer where we are to "love our neighbor". What we must take into consideration is that the same God Who welcomes the faithful into Heaven, also allows the wicked to enter into Hell. Although, He never desires anyone to go into eternity in Hell, His love is not a sappy sentimentalism. God's love is not contradictory to proper justice; the two fit together perfectly--even if we cannot see how.
Of course, I do not deny that praying for God's justice to be sent upon those who are impenitent can be done sinfully. Any time someone curses and says "damn it!" that is an imprecation. It is a call for God to judge something. That is why it is sinful when it is done towards something that is not actually worthy of the judgment of God. Jesus apparently did not have a problem with the imprecatory Psalms since He quoted them more than once (e.g. John 2:17 and 15:25). There are also many times when He spoke direct imprecations against the religious leaders of His day. Consider the following:
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you traverse sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves (Matt 23:15).
You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? (Matt 23:33).
Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of innocent Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar (Matt 23:34-35).When corruption appears to everyone to have reached a point of no return (cf. Heb 6:4-6) then imprecation is merely the ordinary expression of what is good and right. This is comparable to why the Church endorses the use of capital punishment (contrary to what many today would want you to believe), and also comparable to the Church's attitude toward it. It is not pleasant, but it is right. Jesus shows this loving attitude, right in the midst of His condemnations listed above, by pointing out what He would rather have happen: "How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!" (Matt 23:37). He does not "throw" anyone into Hell; they jump in, even though Christ offers them help to avoid it.
We can see the same manner of expression from the early Church as well. St. Peter used an imprecation against a magician in Acts 8:20. When the magician tries to purchase from the Apostles the power to grant the Holy Spirit, Peter tells him,
Your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.Here is the Father Seraiah direct paraphrase of what St. Peter said (excuse my French!): "To Hell with you and your money!" The first Pope of the Church saw impenitence and an intense depth of iniquity in this man's soul and expressed that the path he was on was headed directly to Hell. Then he tells him he is not sure God would forgive a sin so grave. Peter is not making a full judgment; he is stating where things are headed and tells the man himself that the judgments of Hell are coming upon him if he does not repent.
St. Paul uses similar language in his letters that he wrote. Not only does he quote from the imprecatory Psalms (cf. Romans 11:9-10 and 15:3), but he also makes clear reference to those who are under the judgment of God (1 Cor 16:22, and Gal 1:8-9). He even speaks imprecation against someone once by name (2 Tim 4:14). In addition, the Saints in Heaven speak imprecation against the wicked on Earth in various ways (e.g. Rev 6:10).
Here is a list of imprecatory Psalms, in case you are curious: 5, 6, 11, 12, 35, 37, 40 52, 54, 56, 58, 69, 79, 83, 109, 137, 139, and 143. I do warn you, however, be sure of your heart. Be certain that you are not seeking just a selfish revenge against someone you do not like (clergyman or layman). If our hearts are pure before God, it is not a joyful thing to express imprecation; it brings sadness, not gloating. When we genuinely love the impenitent sinner, to pray imprecation against him, asking for the judgment of God, it is not done hatefully. It is done with sadness; it is done with humility; and it is done praying that we ourselves do not fall in the same way.
We pray the imprecatory Psalms by reading through them in a time of prayer. We should be very cautious about applying them to a specific individual unless we know that individual to be completely impenitent (and we rarely know this as much as we might think!). Instead we ask to God to bring judgment where it is needed, and where He alone knows is best. We offer these Psalms up to God with a humble heart, asking that He would intervene in history and prevent the advancement of grave sin (which can and should be named in the prayer).
Imprecations seek the intervention of God so that the grave sin will not continue. It seeks to have God prevent the sinner from getting himself any deeper into condemnation (with the hope that he might repent), as well as to prevent others from being harmed by the sin that is so rampant. In fact, it is right to say that if we do not pray for God forcefully to bring judgment and stop egregious sins, then we are, to a degree, complicit in that sin. It is like turning a blind eye and covering it up. And we all know the consequences of that kind of behavior; don't we?
