An independent Catholic group called the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) plans to consecrate four bishops without papal approval, challenging Pope Leo XIV’s authority. They will hold a four-day event in Switzerland, livestreaming the consecrations and offering attendees a souvenir wine set. This move marks nearly four decades since the group first defied the Vatican, appealing to Catholics who favor the traditional Latin Mass.
SSPX was founded in 1970 in Switzerland to oppose changes from the Second Vatican Council, which allowed Mass in local languages instead of Latin. The group broke from the Vatican in 1988 when its founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, consecrated bishops without papal consent, leading to excommunications. Despite lacking legal status in the church, SSPX has expanded worldwide, posing a threat to the Vatican by presenting a parallel ultra-Catholic identity. They now plan to ordain new bishops: Pascal Schreiber, Michael Goldade, Michel Poinsinet de Sivry, and Marc Hanappier.
The Vatican has warned that these consecrations are a ‘schismatic act’ that results in automatic excommunication for those involved. SSPX justifies this by claiming their current bishops are too old to manage their global community, describing it as a ‘state of necessity’ to save souls. Despite efforts for dialogue, the theological and practical differences remain unresolved.
An event website shows elaborate planning, offering participants hotel bookings, carpooling, prepaid lunches, and a commemorative wine set. This organization suggests SSPX has no intention of retreating from the consecrations. Pope Leo acknowledges the challenge to church unity but appears to accept that they will proceed. He stated that while division is painful, moving forward is necessary as SSPX does not accept core church elements from the Second Vatican Council.
Other Catholic traditionalists are conflicted, sharing sympathy with SSPX’s stance on church crisis but viewing the consecrations as illegal. They appreciate SSPX’s resources to conduct public, valid sacraments but criticize them as unlawful. Some accuse the Vatican of being harsher on SSPX than on progressive reforms by German bishops.
The Vatican recently rejected a German request to allow laypeople to preach homilies, underlining that only priests and deacons may do so.
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