The Vatican has excommunicated more than 500,000 Christians associated with the traditionalist Catholic group, the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), following the consecration of four new bishops in defiance of Pope Leo XIV’s directive.
The move marked one of the most significant disciplinary actions taken by the Roman Catholic Church in recent decades and deepens a long-running rift between the Vatican and the conservative splinter sect.
On Wednesday, the SSPX, named after Pope Pius X and known for its opposition to modernising reforms within the Catholic Church, consecrated four bishops in Geneva despite explicit instructions from Pope Leo XIV not to proceed.
In response, the Vatican announced the excommunication of the Society’s six bishops and, in a rare and sweeping measure, declared that all lay members of the group “are to be considered schismatic and excommunicated.”
However, the Holy See said members who choose to leave the group and return to the Roman Catholic Church would be welcomed back.
It added, however, that those who left the group and wished to return to the Roman Catholic Church would be welcomed back ‘with sincere affection’.
The SSPX was founded in 1970 by traditionalist Catholics who opposed reforms introduced during the Second Vatican Council, a series of meetings held in the 1960s that ushered in significant changes to Catholic worship and engagement with the modern world.
The group is estimated to have about 600,000 followers worldwide.
Reacting to the Vatican’s decision, an SSPX member from Jersey in the Channel Islands, Rita Reid, said the excommunication would not alter her commitment to the group.
“It actually makes me feel quite strong,” Reid said.
“Before the consecrations yesterday I said to my husband, ‘Do you know what? Even if they excommunicate us, go ahead, bring it on, it’s not going to make one bit of difference.’”
The SSPX continued to reject several reforms adopted by the Catholic Church after the Second Vatican Council.
Its members celebrate Mass in Latin rather than local languages, while priests face the altar instead of the congregation during services. The group also insisted that Holy Communion be received kneeling and directly on the tongue.
Women attending SSPX services commonly wear head coverings, and followers generally hold more conservative social and religious views than mainstream Catholics.
The Society also opposes the Vatican’s efforts to strengthen dialogue with other Christian denominations and non-Christian faiths.
The SSPX maintains a strong presence in France and the United States and operates dozens of worship centres in other countries, including the United Kingdom.
This is not the first time the Vatican has sanctioned the group. In the late 1980s, SSPX bishops were excommunicated after carrying out episcopal consecrations without papal approval, although those penalties were later lifted as part of reconciliation efforts.
Relations between the Vatican and the Society had improved in recent years, leading many observers to expect a less severe response to the Geneva consecrations.
While the excommunication of the bishops involved had been widely anticipated, the decision to extend the sanction to all lay members came as a surprise to many Catholics and analysts.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Vatican said: “The sacred ministers of the Society of St Pius X administer the sacraments illicitly, while the sacrament of penance they administer and the marriages they witness are invalid.”
Excommunication is among the most severe penalties in the Roman Catholic Church. It places individuals outside full communion with the Church, preventing them from receiving sacraments such as confession, Holy Communion and marriage within the Catholic faith.
The Vatican’s decision now leaves SSPX followers facing a difficult choice: remain with a group the Church considers to be in schism or return to communion with Rome.
Many members of the Society, however, maintained that it is the Vatican—not the SSPX—that has departed from authentic Catholic doctrine.
