The Vatican has announced that priests and members of the ultra-traditionalist Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) have been excommunicated after the group ordained four new bishops without the approval of Pope Leo XIV.
The ordinations took place despite direct warnings from the Pope that the action would represent a schismatic act. In response, the Vatican’s doctrinal office issued a decree declaring that the four newly consecrated bishops, alongside the two officiating bishops, are formally excommunicated and excluded from the sacraments of the Catholic Church. The Vatican added that priests and lay members who formally adhere to the breakaway group are also considered in schism and face the same penalty.
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin expressed deep sorrow over the developments, stating that the ordinations violate the Church’s fundamental unity. Following the decree, the doctrinal office outlined paths for reconciliation, noting that priests wishing to return to regular church life must write to the Pope personally, sign a profession of faith, and pledge not to oppose the pontiff’s teachings publicly.
The SSPX was originally founded in 1970 in Switzerland by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in opposition to the modernising church reforms introduced during the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. The group rejects council teachings on religious freedom, ecumenism, the condemnation of antisemitism, and the celebration of Mass in languages other than Latin.
While the Vatican had previously permitted the society to administer the sacraments of marriage and confession, the new ruling declares all such sacraments performed by the group invalid. The Vatican maintained that the Church remains ready to welcome back any members who choose to return to full communion.
