Pope Leo XIV pleads with traditionalist Catholics to avoid schism
Pope Leo warned about the dangers of artificial intelligence in his first encyclical
Paul Gigot, Bill McGurn and Dan Henninger discuss Pope Leo’s first encyclical warning about artificial intelligence. The pope called for stronger government regulations, citing threats to human dignity.
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Pontiff Leo
Leo, St. In a letter addressed to the Rev. Davide Pagliarani, leader of the Society of St. Pius
“I beg you and ask with all my heart: please come back!” wrote the pope.
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Pope Leo XIV waves during the noon Angelus prayer from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican on Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
According to church law, consecrating bishops without papal approval is considered a schismatic act and means automatic excommunication of both the appointed bishops and the bishop performing the ceremony.
“I ask you to consider carefully the spiritual well-being of the faithful, because the divisive action you are about to undertake will deprive them of the lawful and in some cases even valid reception of the sacraments,” Leo wrote.
Pope Leo (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
The dispute marks the first major struggle of Leo’s papacy. Since becoming pope, the American-born pontiff has emphasized healing divisions within the Church, including tensions with traditionalist Catholics who support the ancient Latin rite.
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The Society of St. Pius The group has long maintained that it preserves original Catholic teaching.
The association defended its decision to consecrate four new bishops, saying it was a “situation of necessity” that required it to provide bishops for its faithful.
The planned ceremony reflects a similar conflict when the group’s founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, consecrated four bishops without papal approval in 1988. The Vatican responded by excommunicating Lefebvre and the newly appointed bishops, but these excommunications were lifted in 2009 as part of an effort to rebuild relations.
Pope Leo (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Despite years of dialogue with the Vatican, the SSPX remains outside the church’s official structure.
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The association has continued to expand in recent years, reporting hundreds of priests, seminarians, and religious members from dozens of countries, making it one of the largest traditionalist movements operating outside the formal authority of the Catholic Church.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
