On Wednesday, 1 July, the Priestly Society of St Pius X (FSSPX) consecrated four new bishops in Écône, Switzerland, without a papal mandate. The consecrations went ahead despite a personal appeal by Pope Leo XIV in the preceding days asking the Society to abandon its plans. The Society thus repeated a similar schismatic act that it had carried out once before, in 1988, under the leadership of its then superior, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.
The Vatican had already stated in advance that episcopal consecrations without a papal mandate are contrary to the canon law of the Church and constitute a schismatic act. Following the consecrations, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin described the action as one that seriously damages the unity of the Church.
The Society of St Pius X was founded in 1970. It has been particularly critical of the reforms that followed the Second Vatican Council, including the liturgical reform and certain emphases in the Church’s teaching. The Society considers its mission to be the preservation of the Church’s tradition, while the Holy See has stressed that neither the unity of the Church nor the Pope’s particular role can be disregarded, even in doctrinal disputes considered to be serious.
For decades, the Society’s activities have raised questions about its status within the Catholic Church. Although the Holy See has sought dialogue and made certain pastoral concessions, for example concerning confession and marriages, the Society is still not in full ecclesial communion. The Vatican has subsequently clarified its canonical status, stating that lay faithful associated with the SSPX are not automatically in schism. At the same time, it has issued guidelines for priests and faithful returning to full communion.
A second, similar case occurred at the end of July, when Father Michael Mary Sim FSSR, founder of the community of Transalpine Redemptorists based in the Orkney Islands in Scotland, was consecrated a bishop without a papal mandate. The community had been in full communion with the Catholic Church since 2008, but broke from it earlier this year after adopting sedevacantist positions. The Bishop of Aberdeen, Hugh Gilbert OSB, in whose diocese the community operates, stated that the consecration constituted a schismatic act. Father Michael Mary had already previously been found guilty of schism and declared excommunicated.
Vatican News, EWTN News