Overview
- The Society of Saint Pius X conducted an elaborate ceremony in Écône that ordained four bishops without a papal mandate and was attended by thousands of faithful.
- The Holy See responded by declaring the act schismatic and formally excommunicating six SSPX bishops and the priests who participated, removing them from communion with the Church.
- SSPX superior Davide Pagliarani rejected the sanctions as "objectively unjust and invalid" and said the community will not accept the penalties, intensifying the standoff with Rome.
- Under Catholic canon law, consecrating a bishop without the pope's approval is treated as grave disobedience that normally triggers automatic exclusion from Church offices and communion.
- The move renews a decades‑long dispute over post‑Vatican II reforms and could block any near‑term reconciliation between Rome and the traditionalist SSPX while raising questions about pastoral care for the group’s followers.