Rebel Swiss Catholic group unrepentant over excommunication after unapproved ordaining of bishops

Members of the breakaway Catholic group, the Society of St Pius X, have declared they are unrepentant following their excommunication by the Vatican for ordaining four bishops without papal consent. The group, based in Econe, Switzerland, accuses the Catholic Church of deviating from its true faith and claims Pope Leo failed to heed their grievances.

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We are at peace with what has happened as you can see from all the faces.

Priests and lay members at their seminary stated they would continue their activities as usual, focusing on the preservation of traditional Church practices. A Mexican deacon, who asked to remain anonymous, expressed peace among the members, pointing to a crowd receiving blessings from one of the newly ordained bishops after an open-air Mass. He emphasized their commitment to tradition.

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We do respect the pope. We will keep praying for him. It hurts to be punished by your dad, because you know you didn’t do anything wrong.

The Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith declared the society to be in schism, warning that their sacraments are now illicit. The group, founded by Marcel Lefebvre, split from the mainstream Church over reforms enacted during the Second Vatican Council, including the abandonment of the traditional Latin Mass. The ordination of bishops without Church approval is considered a grave offense, leading to automatic excommunication.

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This sanction shows that, I mean, we did not close the door to the Holy Father, to the Holy See. They shut it in our face.

One priest, identifying himself as Fr. Benedict, called the Vatican's decision unfair and invalid, despite stating respect for the Pope. He lamented being "punished by your dad" while believing they had done nothing wrong. He added that the society had sought a meeting with Pope Leo for over a year, expressing sadness at his "very last minute" reaction. The Vatican, however, stated that dialogue had been offered and that the group had excommunicated themselves rather than being excommunicated by the Pope.

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The Holy Father did not excommunicate the Lefebvrists. They excommunicated themselves.