Pope Leo has issued a direct plea to the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), an ultra-conservative Catholic organization, urging it to abandon plans to ordain four bishops without Vatican authorization. The pontiff characterized the proposed ordinations as a “schismatic act” and “sin of extreme gravity” in a letter addressed to the group’s superior general, Rev Davide Pagliarani.
Founded in 1970 in the Swiss village of Ecône, the SSPX opposes liberalizing reforms enacted by the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), particularly the shift from exclusive use of Latin to allowing mass in local languages. The organization claims nearly 1,500 members, including priests and seminarians, with significant operations in the United States, France, Argentina, and other countries. Church officials have indicated that the ordinations, scheduled for 1 July, could trigger automatic excommunication of the newly ordained bishops and the bishop performing the consecrations under existing church law regarding schismatic acts.
The SSPX maintains that the ordinations stem from practical necessity rather than a desire to establish a rival authority within the church. The group’s media manager, Marc-André Mabillard, stated that the organization would proceed unchanged with its plans while expressing sadness at not being understood by church leadership.
This confrontation marks a significant test for Pope Leo, who has prioritized unity within the Catholic church since his election in May. The current crisis echoes a 1988 incident when Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and four bishops he had ordained without permission were excommunicated by then-Pope John Paul II. Those excommunications were lifted in 2009 under Pope Benedict. Church experts have noted that Pope Leo’s explicit warning of excommunication consequences underscores the gravity he assigns to preventing schismatic behavior, even at the cost of institutional harmony.
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