Society of Saint Pius X excommunicated after unauthorized episcopal ordination in Brazil

The Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a decree excommunicating bishops, priests and lay members of the Society of Saint Pius X (FSSPX) after the group performed an episcopal ordination of four bishops on 1 July without papal mandate. The decree describes the act as a schism and declares the sacraments celebrated by the society invalid. The FSSPX, which maintains chapels in Teresina and Parnaíba in the Brazilian state of Piauí and operates worldwide with roughly 733 priests, was warned by Pope Leo XIV but proceeded with the ceremony.

Commentary in a Portuguese liturgical article lamented the rupture of Church unity caused by the ordination, linking the dispute to broader tensions over Vatican II reforms and the society’s traditionalist stance. The Vatican reiterated that it remains open to the return of members who recognise papal authority and the Church’s norms.