Pope Leo XIV excommunicates Society of Saint Pius X bishops; group issues rebuttal letter

Pope Leo XIV issued a decree excommunicating six members of the Society of Saint Pius X after the traditionalist group ordained four bishops without papal mandate. In response, the Society’s superior Davide Pagliarani sent an open letter describing the sanction as “objectively unjust and invalid,” expressing sorrow while affirming the group’s continued loyalty to the Roman Catholic Church and rejection of post‑Vatican II reforms. The Society, which counts roughly 700 priests worldwide, argues that its actions aim to preserve what it sees as the true faith amid what it calls “moral confusion” in the Church. The dispute revives a long‑standing tension dating back to the original excommunication of the Lefebvreists, partially lifted by Pope Benedict XVI, and underscores ongoing divisions within global Catholicism.