The Vatican has excommunicated all members of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), a rebel group of ultra-conservative Catholics, after they ordained four bishops without papal consent. The move, announced on Thursday by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, head of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, marks the first major crisis for Pope Leo since his election last year.
In a statement, the Vatican said the SSPX had committed “an act of a schismatic nature,” which under canon law carries automatic excommunication. The Vatican also reversed concessions on sacraments granted by the late Pope Francis, meaning confessions and marriages administered by SSPX priests are now invalid. The group, founded in 1970 in Écône, Switzerland, rejects key reforms from the Second Vatican Council, including the use of local languages in Mass.
An estimated 16,500 people attended the ordination ceremony on Wednesday, including members of Italian far-right groups New Force and National Future. The SSPX has around 1,500 priests and seminarians, with a following of 150,000 to 200,000 worldwide, particularly in the US, France, and Argentina. Andrea Vreede, Vatican correspondent for NOS, said the Vatican hopes the harsh measures will prompt some members to repent.
Pope Leo had made a last-ditch effort to prevent the ordinations, calling them a “schismatic act” and a “sin of extreme gravity.” However, the SSPX said the ordinations were “a sacred duty.” The clash is the first between the Vatican and the SSPX since 1988, when founder Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre was excommunicated for ordaining bishops without permission. Vreede noted that while the schism is a nuisance, it is unlikely to damage Pope Leo, who has prioritised church unity.
