The Pope's secret meeting with Kim Davis sparked a social media firestorm following his historic first visit to the U.S. last month — people demanded answers to a variety of questions from "Who set this up?" to "Why meet with Kim Davis over more worthy Catholics?"

Related: Pope Francis Held Private Meeting With Gay Couple During His U.S. Visit

Once the Vatican claimed it wasn't responsible for organizing the meeting, the man who did was quickly identified as Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, an anti-gay crusader whose "rough management style" had him ousted from the Vatican and relocated to the U.S. in 2011.

Speaking with The New York Times, Matthew D. Staver, an attorney for Kim Davis, confirmed that Viganò extended an invitation to his client, but that everyone assumed the invitation had come directly from the Pope himself.

Staver and Viganò are apparently old pals, having once met at an anti-gay National Organization for Marriage rally in Washington, D.C. According to Staver, Viganò made a point to "thank me for my message" when the two met.

The Pope, as indicated by a gay couple who met him on the same day as Davis, was blindsided by the meeting.

The controversial move has some wondering how much longer the Vatican will protect Viganò.

"In January, Archbishop Viganò will turn 75, the age at which bishops must submit a formal request to the Vatican for permission to resign," the Times reports. "These requests are not automatically accepted, and bishops often stay in their appointments long after. It seems unlikely, church analysts say, that Archbishop Viganò will be one of them."