Pope Leo XIV Urges Traditionalist Catholics to Halt Schismatic Plans

ROME — Pope Leo XIV urged a breakaway group of traditionalist Catholics to cease plans for consecrating new bishops without papal approval. He condemned the move as a schismatic act and a ‘sin of extreme gravity.’

I plead with you and ask you with all my heart: please turn back!

Pope Leo addressed these words to Rev. Davide Pagliarani, the superior of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), in a letter. The SSPX scheduled the consecration of four new bishops at its seminary in Econe, Switzerland. According to church law, such consecrations would be a schismatic act, leading to automatic excommunication for the involved four bishops and the one conducting the ceremony.

The SSPX emerged in response to the modernizing changes of the 1960s Second Vatican Council. These reforms transformed the Catholic Church’s relationship with other religions and its laity, permitting Mass in local languages rather than solely in Latin.

In 1988, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, the SSPX founder, consecrated four bishops without the Pope’s consent. This act, considered a severe church law violation, led the Vatican to excommunicate Lefebvre and the four bishops. The SSPX still operates without legal recognition from the Vatican.

The Vatican has cautioned that similar consequences await the new bishops if the consecrations proceed. Pope Leo reiterated the Vatican’s offer for dialogue and expressed that proceeding with the consecrations could be detrimental to the SSPX followers.

I urge you to consider carefully the spiritual good of the faithful, because the schismatic act you are about to undertake would deprive them of the licit, and in some cases, even valid reception of the sacraments,

Despite the schismatic act in 1988, the SSPX has expanded and now presents a challenge to the Holy See by functioning as a parallel, ultra-Catholic, pre-Vatican II church. As per SSPX statistics, the group includes two bishops, 751 priests, 264 seminarians, 145 religious brothers, 88 oblates, and 250 sisters from 50 nationalities.