Traditionalist Catholic group consecrates four bishops, risking excommunication

An ultra-traditionalist Catholic organization, the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), has consecrated four bishops without the Vatican's authorization, igniting a new canonical and theological dispute with the Holy See. Pope Leo XIV had previously urged the SSPX to halt the ceremony.

The consecration ritual took place in Écône, Switzerland, officiated by Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta, with thousands of supporters in attendance. Under Roman Catholic canon law, consecrating a bishop without a papal mandate is a grave act of disobedience, leading to automatic excommunication for those involved and risking a formal schism.

Vatican representatives had warned the group about the legal ramifications prior to the ceremony. The Holy See is expected to issue an official statement clarifying the canonical status of the fraternity's members. The SSPX justifies its actions by invoking a "state of spiritual necessity," arguing that expanding its episcopate is essential for the community's continuity, especially since only two of their elderly bishops remain.

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Any penalty or censure against this act is null and void.

SSPX Superior Father Davide Pagliarani sent a letter to the Pope, rejecting the schismatic nature of the act. He asserted that the decision was not a rupture from Rome but an effort to "serve the Church in a time of crisis." Pagliarani declared that any penalty against this act is void, accusing Vatican authorities of deviating from sacred tradition since the 1960s. The four newly consecrated bishops are Pascal Schreiber (Switzerland), Michael Goldade (United States), Michel Poinsinet de Sivry (France), and Marc Hanappier (France).

The SSPX, founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, opposes reforms from the Second Vatican Council, such as ecumenism and interreligious dialogue, and insists on maintaining exclusively Latin Mass. This is not the first time the SSPX has clashed with the Holy See; in 1988, Lefebvre caused a major rupture by consecrating four bishops without papal consent, including Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta, who led Wednesday's ceremony.

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The decision does not represent a rupture from Rome, but an effort to 'serve the Church in a time of crisis.'