Catholic Church imposes priest suspensions in Kenya and ordains bishops in traditionalist group in Switzerland

In the Diocese of Maralal, Kenya, Bishop Hieronymus Emusugut Joya announced a pastoral letter introducing stricter conduct rules and suspended seven priests accused of abusing authority, administrative negligence and mismanagement. The diocese, serving about 150,000 Catholics with roughly 40 priests, also sees new administrative structures and financial reforms to address debt.

Separately, at the traditionalist Society of Saint Pius X headquarters in Ecône, Switzerland, four bishops were ordained without papal approval by Bernard Fellay and Alfonso de Gallareta. The ordinations, carried out by bishops originally consecrated by Marcel Lefebvre, resulted in excommunication and heightened concerns about a schismatic direction within the movement.

Both incidents reflect ongoing internal disciplinary challenges within the global Catholic Church, involving local governance in Kenya and doctrinal disputes among traditionalist groups in Europe.