Over 140 Catholics in Toronto have urged Cardinal Frank Leo to address the escalating conflict between the Vatican and the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), a breakaway conservative group. On July 1, the SSPX intends to consecrate four priests as bishops without the approval of Pope Leo XIV. The Vatican has warned that such actions would lead to excommunication.
This week, a group of Catholics delivered a letter to Cardinal Leo supporting the SSPX’s planned consecrations. They requested he mediate with the pope and back their call for “paternal approval.” The plea was described as being made “in a spirit of charity and pastoral concern.” José LoMonaco, who, alongside his wife, organized the submission, asserted that these consecrations are crucial for preserving tradition.
To ordain traditional priests in the traditional Roman rite, traditional bishops are needed,he explained to Newsweek.The SSPX currently has two bishops nearing 70. Without bishops, the SSPX cannot continue. That’s why we support consecrating new bishops.
As Archbishop of Toronto, Cardinal Leo has oversight of the Catholics signing the letter. His participation in the College of Cardinals provides direct access to the pope.
Content of the Letter
The letter’s signatories describe themselves as “faithful Catholics residing in Toronto, united by a profound love for the Holy, Catholic, Apostolic and Roman Church.” LoMonaco clarified that although they are not SSPX members, most attendees of SSPX chapels in Toronto were among them.
They expressed alignment with a Declaration of Catholic Faith presented to Pope Leo by SSPX Superior General Father Davide Pagliarani. The Catholics affirmed their commitment to the declaration’s teachings, viewing them as “the living foundation of our interior desire for sanctification through the unbroken deposit of Tradition.” They positioned their letter as both a testimony of faith and an appeal for church authorities’ approval of the consecrations.
The group wrote, We respectfully present this letter as a personal testimony of our Catholic faith and as a filial plea,
asking the Holy See for its blessing on the forthcoming episcopal consecrations. Neither the Vatican nor Cardinal Leo has made a public response. Newsweek has reached out for comments.
SSPX Persists with Unapproved Consecrations
On Wednesday, the SSPX revealed the priests they plan to consecrate: Father Michael Goldade (United States), Father Pascal Schreiber (Switzerland), Father Michel Poinsinet de Sivry (France), and Father Marc Hanappier (France).
Earlier, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, the Vatican’s head of discipline, informed the SSPX that conducting unapproved consecrations would be a schismatic act
—a formal split with the papacy and a grave offense against God,
warranting excommunication.
The episcopal ordinations announced by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X do not have the corresponding pontifical mandate,Fernández stated.This action will constitute ‘a schismatic act,’ and formal adherence to the schism constitutes a grave offense against God and entails the excommunication established by the law of the Church.
The SSPX swiftly reiterated its plans, with Pagliarani affirming they would rather die than renounce
their principles. He noted that the SSPX had warned the Vatican for over 50 years about modernist errors that are destroying Catholic faith and morals.
However, he lamented that the sole response appeared to be canonical sanctions.
History of the Rift Between Rome and SSPX
The conflict between Rome and the SSPX began over five decades ago. Founded in 1970 by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, the society opposed reforms from the Second Vatican Council, including changes to the liturgy and relations with other faiths.
The divide deepened in 1988 when Lefebvre consecrated four bishops without papal authorization, leading to the Vatican labeling the act as schismatic and imposing excommunications. Although some penalties were lifted later, the SSPX remains in an irregular position canonically.
The SSPX acknowledges the pope and much of Catholic teaching but continues to dispute perceived deviations from traditional doctrine. Recently, the fraternity criticized the Vatican’s 2023 declaration Fiducia Supplicans, which approved nonliturgical blessings for individuals in same-sex relationships and other irregular
situations while affirming the traditional view of marriage as between a man and a woman.
The SSPX argued that such blessings create confusion about Catholic moral teachings. While successive popes have sought reconciliation with the society, disagreements continue over the Second Vatican Council, Church authority, and modern pastoral reforms, hindering a lasting resolution.