Pope Leo XIV: Pius Brotherhood Calls Excommunications 'Unjust and Invalid'

The traditionalist Priestly Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) has vehemently rejected the Vatican's recent excommunications, labeling them as 'objectively unjust and invalid.' In a letter to Pope Leo XIV, the SSPX's superior general, Italian priest Davide Pagliarani, stated that the society would not react to the sanctions with bitterness or uproar. He emphasized that these condemnations, like those in the past, strike at the heart of their connection to the Roman Church.

Pagliarani described the unauthorized episcopal consecrations as an extraordinary initiative for the salvation of souls, asserting that the SSPX has no ambition other than to remain faithful and does not seek to usurp the Church's authority. The Vatican, however, had previously excommunicated all six bishops involved in the consecrations, including the four newly consecrated bishops and the two assisting bishops. The act of consecrating bishops without papal approval is considered direct disobedience within the Roman Catholic Church.

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These recent condemnations strike, like those of the past, at what is dearest to us: our connection to our mother, the Roman Church.

The SSPX, founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, is an ultra-conservative group of priests that lacks official status within the Roman Catholic Church. Its foundational principles reject the decrees of the Second Vatican Council, which its bishops view as too liberal. This schism has placed the SSPX in open conflict with the Vatican for decades. The society reports having approximately 700 priests worldwide.

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We do not in any way claim to take the place of the Church, and we have no other ambition than to remain faithful.