Society of Saint Pius X ordains four bishops in Swiss village, defying Pope

Four new bishops of the traditionalist Society of Saint Pius X were consecrated on July 2 in the Alpine hamlet of Écône, Switzerland, despite a direct appeal from Pope Leo to cancel the ceremony. Vatican Cardinal Pietro Parolin called the unauthorized ordination a “schismatic act” that has “deeply wounded” the unity of the 1.4‑billion‑member Catholic Church. The Pope’s letter to SSPX leader Davide Pagliarani pleaded, “please turn back,” and warned that the participants would be automatically excommunicated.

The Society, which opposes post‑Vatican II reforms such as vernacular Mass, said the ordinations were necessary to provide enough prelates for its worldwide community of about 733 priests. Thousands gathered to watch the ceremony, which was livestreamed in several languages. The Vatican had previously warned in May that such ordinations would trigger excommunication, underscoring the seriousness of the breach of canon law.