Pope urges Society of St. Pius X to halt planned bishop consecrations
Pope Leo XIV wrote to the Society of St. Pius X asking it to cancel a scheduled episcopal consecration, warning that proceeding could trigger a schism and excommunication.
The Vatican announced that Pope Leo XIV sent a letter to Rev. Davide Pagliarani, the head of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), urging the group not to proceed with a planned consecration of bishops on Wednesday. The pope described the planned ceremony as a schismatic act that could deprive the faithful of valid reception of the sacraments.
"I plead with you and ask you with all my heart: Please turn back!" the pope wrote, adding that the Vatican remains ready to engage in dialogue.
Under canon law, any episcopal consecration carried out without papal approval results in automatic excommunication for the bishops consecrated and the consecrators, cutting them off from the sacraments and communal worship. The SSPX, founded in 1970 in opposition to reforms of the Second Vatican Council, has previously ordained five priests in Switzerland but has not been granted legal status within the Catholic Church.
The last similar breach occurred in 1988 when SSPX founder Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre consecrated four bishops without papal consent, leading to excommunications that were lifted in 2009. The society, which operates in more than 75 countries and claims around 750 priests and half a million adherents, continues to reject post-Vatican II liturgical changes and ecumenical initiatives.
