Catholic priests threaten Vatican schism over SSPX bishops consecration
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A traditionalist group of Catholic priests who have been at loggerheads with the Vatican for decades said this weekend that they plan to consecrate bishops without Vatican approval, threatening a full split with Rome.
St. The Priestly Society of St. Pius The SSPX celebrates only the Traditional Latin Mass and opposes some reforms at the Second Vatican Council.
SSPX superior general Father Davide Pagliarani said he had requested a meeting with Pope Leo XIV in August to request new bishops for the community. Instead, the group received a letter from the Vatican stating that it “has not responded in any way to our requests.”
The SSPX currently has two serving bishops: Bishop Bernard Fellay, a former top general of the society, and Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta, according to EWTN.
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The SSPX said the Vatican did not comply with its request to appoint more bishops this month. (Gregorio Borgia/AP)
Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, founder of the SSPX, was imprisoned by Pope John Paul II in 1988 after appointing four bishops without Vatican approval. He was excommunicated by John Paul.
All four bishops were excommunicated, but Pope Benedict XIV and Pope Francis gradually sought to return the group to the Church’s periphery.
Francis allowed SSPX members to hear confessions and conduct marriages, but said they would not have a formal ministry until they accepted the reforms laid out in Vatican II.
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A new priest blesses believers after the ordination ceremony of the separatist fundamentalist Roman Catholic Community of St Pius X in Econe, western Switzerland. (KUMAS COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Image)
Pagliarani insisted that the society was not seeking separation from the Vatican. In November 2024, the 50th anniversary of the founding of the SSPX, Lefebvre stated that “the Society of St. Pius
Pagliarani then quoted Lefebvre, saying: “This single purpose applies to us today, just as it did 50 years ago: ‘Therefore, without any rebellion, resentment or resentment, we continue our work of forming the priesthood under the guiding star of the ever-present Magisterium, convinced that we cannot render a greater service to the Holy Catholic Church, to the Sovereign Pope and to future generations.”
Pope Benedict XVI reversed the excommunication of Lefebvre and four of his bishops in 2009, but did not grant them full ministerial rights. (Eric Vandeville/ABACAPRESS.COM)
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The Catholic Herald reported Monday that the SSPX has been in talks with the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith throughout the past year, indicating that Monday’s announcement could reveal a breakdown in talks.
