Pope Leo XIV urges SSPX to cancel planned episcopal consecrations

Pope Leo XIV issued an urgent letter to Davide Pagliarani, superior general of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), urging the group to abandon its planned consecration of four bishops on 1 July in Écône, Switzerland. The pope described the act as a “sin of extreme gravity” and a schismatic move that would place the bishops outside communion and jeopardise the faithful’s reception of valid sacraments. He called for dialogue, reminding the SSPX that the Church is “open to a path of understanding.”

The SSPX defended the plan as a “state of necessity” to provide bishops for its faithful, citing canonical irregularities. Catholic commentators, including KHKT rector Christoph Ohly and theologian Jan‑Heiner Tück, warned that the Brotherhood’s actions conflict with Church law and that “without full recognition of the Second Vatican Council there can be no solution.” The Vatican has repeatedly warned that unauthorized consecrations constitute a schismatic act and carry automatic excommunication.

Multiple outlets across languages reported the appeal, emphasizing the stakes for Church unity and the potential canonical consequences for those involved.