Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández excommunicates Society of Saint Pius X

Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued a decree of excommunication against the bishops, members and faithful of the Society of Saint Pius X (FSSPX) following the episcopal ordinations carried out on 1 July 2026. The decree was announced without comment. The cardinal had previously, on 5 March 2023 in La Plata, criticised the Church’s moral “classifications” and “labels”, urging a more inclusive view of individuals.

The excommunication marks a formal sanction against the traditionalist group after the contested ordinations, reinforcing the Vatican’s stance on maintaining doctrinal unity within the Catholic Church.