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3mo ago

Vatican Declares SSPX in Schism and Excommunicates Six Bishops

Revoking SSPX priests' ability to hear confessions or officiate marriages, the Holy See offered a formal path back for clerics and laypeople who accept papal authority.

The consecration of four new bishops was considered a schismic act by Pope Leo XIV
Status of the Immaculata Church in St. Marys within the Catholic Church is uncertain. Pope Leo XIV had urged Society of Saint Pius X leaders to not consecrate their own bishops and threatened excommunication. SSPX went forward with consecrating four bishops July 1.
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(From L) The new traditionalist Catholic bishops French Marc Hanappier, French Michel Poinsinet de Sivry, US' Michael Goldade and Swiss Pascal Schreiber stand next to Swiss traditionalist Catholic Bishop of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) Bernard Fellay during the schismatic consecration of bishops by the traditionalist Catholic Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) in Econe, western Switzerland, on July 1, 2026. On June 30, 2026, Pope Leo XIV urged the Society to abandon its plan to ordain bishops without Vatican approval, warning it would lead to automatic excommunication. Founded in 1970 in Econe by French bishop Marcel Lefebvre, the Society of Saint Pius X categorically rejects the changes in the Church since the Second Vatican Council. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP via Getty Images)

Overview

  • The Society of Saint Pius X consecrated four priests as bishops at Écône, Switzerland, on Wednesday without a papal mandate, provoking a swift Vatican response.
  • On July 2 the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith formally declared the consecrations a schismatic act and named six clerics who incurred automatic excommunication.
  • The decree extended the schismatic designation to SSPX priests and lay faithful who 'formally adhere' to the group and said confessions and marriages performed by SSPX clergy are illicit or invalid.
  • SSPX leaders rejected the sanctions as unjust and continued to defend the ordinations, which drew roughly 15,000 supporters and risks serious pastoral disruption for adherents.
  • The Vatican said it remains open to readmission and laid out steps for reunion that require a profession of faith, acceptance of core Vatican II teachings, and papal or delegated lifting of penalties.