Pius X Society ordains bishops in Switzerland, triggering automatic excommunication

On 1 July 2026 the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X (often called the Pius brothers) held a secret episcopal ordination ceremony in Écône, Switzerland, consecrating four priests as bishops despite an explicit prohibition from Pope Leo XIV. Under canon law such ordinations without papal mandate incur a latae sententiae excommunication, meaning the two consecrating bishops and the four newly ordained are automatically expelled from the Catholic Church.

The Vatican is expected to issue an official decree confirming the excommunication, as it did after a similar illegal ordination in 1988. The Society, which counts roughly 700 priests worldwide—including members from the United States, France, and Austria—cited the need to preserve priestly formation and traditional liturgy. The Austrian Bishops’ Conference publicly condemned the act, labeling it a schismatic breach of church unity. Pope Leo XIV had personally urged the Society to cancel the ordinations, warning that they would deprive the faithful of sacraments.

The incident revives a decades‑long dispute over the Society’s refusal to accept reforms of the Second Vatican Council and highlights ongoing tensions between the Vatican and traditionalist Catholic groups.