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Catholic society defies Vatican again by ordaining new bishops
🇳🇬 Nigeria /Culture & Society

Catholic society defies Vatican again by ordaining new bishops

From Vanguard · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • The Society of Saint Pius X consecrated four new bishops in Switzerland, defying Pope Leo XIV's warnings against the schismatic act.
  • The ultra-traditionalist group rejects Vatican II reforms and has consecrated bishops without papal approval since 1988, leading to automatic excommunication.
  • Pope Leo XIV pleaded with the society to abandon its plan, calling the consecration a sin of extreme gravity, while the society claims its actions are born of love for the Church.

In a move defying Pope Leo XIV, the traditionalist Catholic Society of Saint Pius X consecrated four new bishops in Econe, Switzerland, on July 1, 2026. The Pope had urged the breakaway group to abandon the plan, warning it would result in automatic excommunication and calling it a "schismatic act" and a "sin of extreme gravity."

Are we breaking with the Church in order to keep the faith? That is a false dilemma. We belong to the Church first through faith, through the integral profession of the Church’s faith.

— Davide PagliaraniThe society's Superior General insisted in his homily that their actions were not a rebellion but born of love for the Church.

The society, which rejects reforms enacted since the Second Vatican Council, proceeded with the consecration of two French, one American, and one Swiss bishop. This act leads to the de facto excommunication of all six bishops involved, including the two who performed the ceremony. The Society of Saint Pius X, founded in 1970, has a history of such defiance, having triggered a rift with the Vatican by consecrating four bishops in 1988 without papal approval.

I plead with you and ask you with all my heart: please turn back!

— Pope Leo XIVThe pontiff wrote in a letter to the society, calling the planned consecration a 'schismatic act'.

Davide Pagliarani, the society's Superior General, insisted in his homily that their actions were not a rebellion but "an act born of love for the Church." He argued that breaking with the Church to preserve the faith is a "false dilemma," stating, "We belong to the Church first through faith, through the integral profession of the Church’s faith." The society claims a global following of approximately 600,000 faithful and operates in over 75 countries with more than 750 priests.

To tear the seamless garment of Christ is a sin of extreme gravity.

— Pope Leo XIVThe pontiff described the potential consequences of the society's actions.

Thousands of worshippers attended the ceremony, which took place near the society's seminary in Econe. The event began with a long procession of priests in the rain. For attendees like 79-year-old Jean-Pierre Stauffer, who traveled from Geneva, it was a "historic day" signifying something "very important" that "won’t stop here."

It is not an act of rebellion: it is an act born of love for the Church.

— Davide PagliaraniThe society's Superior General explained the motivation behind the consecrations.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Vanguard. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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