Traditionalist group consecrates four bishops without papal approval; Pope Leo XIV says act creates division

The traditionalist Catholic group Fraternity of St. Pius X, also known as the Lefebvrians, consecrated four new bishops in Switzerland on Wednesday. This act occurred without papal authorization, leading Pope Leo XIV to label it "schismatic" and urge the community to abandon its plan.

The ceremony took place in Écône, Switzerland, attended by thousands of faithful from around the world. The newly consecrated bishops are two Frenchmen, one American, and one Swiss. The superior general of the community, Father Davide Pagliarani, called it a "historic day" in his homily.

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Tomorrow we will begin the second World Cup, the preparation was very important.

Luz Dussan, a 57-year-old Colombian faithful who traveled from the United States, expressed her joy, stating, "I never thought in my life I would live this, but look, God brought me here." She added, "It doesn't matter what others in the world say, I am happy with what the fraternity has done, they truly deserve the four bishops, because we are really growing the community, the Latin community especially is growing in the fraternity."

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Croatia is a team we know very well. They also know our strengths and our talent, so it will be a competitive match.

By proceeding without the Pope's approval, the two existing bishops of the community and the four newly consecrated bishops are effectively excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church. However, the fraternity's secretary-general, Foucault Leroux, declared at the ceremony's start that they consider "all penalties and censures... null and void."

The fraternity, founded in 1970 by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, claims approximately 600,000 faithful. They follow a strict interpretation of doctrinal and liturgical tradition, rejecting changes made by the Church since the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. They also advocate for a patriarchal society and a theocratic state model. Pagliarani defended their actions, stating, "To maintain the faith, are we breaking with the Church? This dilemma is false. We belong to the Church, first and foremost through faith, through the integral profession of the Church's faith."

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What’s important is that all the players are ready to play for the team - whether in the starting lineup ... or on the bench.

The four-hour consecration Mass was conducted entirely in Latin outdoors in Écône, the same location where Lefebvre consecrated the first four bishops of his community in 1988. During the ceremony, the four priests lay prostrate on the ground as the Litany of Saints was sung, before receiving the imposition of hands from a bishop, the key moment, followed by anointing. Jean-Pierre Stauffer, 79, who traveled from G, declared, "It is a historic day. Something very important is happening now, this will not stop here."

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People talk about age, but age is just a number. What matters is what they do and the example they set in the locker room.