Hardline group triggers new schism in Catholic Church

The Society of Saint Pius X has consecrated bishops without papal approval, prompting the worst rift within the church in decades

The Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), a Catholic priestly fraternity, has consecrated four new bishops without the papal approval, defying a last-ditch appeal by Pope Leo XIV to call the ceremony off. The move reignites an old row between the controversial ultra-traditionalist faction and the Vatican, as well as risks bringing a broader schism to the Catholic Church.

The SSPX held the ceremony at its seminary in Econe, Switzerland, on Wednesday, ordaining four prelates to serve as auxiliary bishops without jurisdictions. The group justified the consecrations as a “sacred duty” necessary to defend the Catholic faith and condemned any potential retaliation from Rome.

“We consider every punishment and censure brought to bear against this step will have no validity,” a priest presiding over the ceremony said. While the Vatican has not responded to the SSPX move yet, according to the church’s canon law setting up bishops without papal consent is considered a grave offense that incurs an automatic excommunication for prelates both administering and receiving the unauthorized consecration.

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Earlier this week, Pope Leo made a last-ditch attempt to prevent the SSPX from proceeding with the consecrations, penning an open letter to the group to warn it against the “schismatic act.” The move constitutes a “sin of extreme gravity” and ruptures the very fabric of the church, the pontiff warned.

SSPX Superior General Davide Pagliarani, however, defied the warning, insisting the group has a “sincere desire to serve the Church” and implying the actions of the Vatican itself undermine the unity of the church.

The new schism constitutes a major crisis for the pope who has been seeking to mend the ties between the Vatican and traditionalist Catholic factions, which greatly deteriorated under his predecessor, Francis.

The SSPX was founded by the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in 1970 in the aftermath of the Second Vatican Council, which shaped the modernization trend within the church. The council revolutionized the Vatican’s relations with other Christian denominations, Jews, and other religions, as well as allowed Mass to be conducted in the vernacular rather than Latin.

The group has opposed the modernization efforts, ultimately triggering a schism in the late 1980s when it ordained bishops without papal approval. The resulting excommunications were lifted only in 2009, yet ties between the faction and the Vatican were never truly mended, as decades of clandestine negotiations ultimately resulted in a similar crisis.