Vatican warns Society of Saint Pius X over planned unauthorized bishop ordinations

The Vatican, through the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, cautioned the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) that its plan to ordain new bishops in July without papal approval from Pope Leo XIV would constitute a schismatic act and result in excommunication. The SSPX, founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre to protest the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, now numbers over 700 priests, primarily in North America and France. In 1988 the Society carried out unauthorized ordinations in Switzerland, leading Pope John Paul II to declare the participants excommunicated; the penalty was later softened by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009 as part of reconciliation efforts. Pope Francis continues to pray for the Society’s leaders to return to communion with the Holy See.

The Vatican reiterated that any episcopal consecrations performed without the Pope’s mandate would be a decisive breach of Church unity, urging the SSPX to abandon the plan and seek dialogue.