The Fraternity of Saint Pius X held this Wednesday (1st), on its own initiative, the ordination of four new bishops in Écône, Switzerland, contrary to a direct appeal from Pope Leo XIV. For the Vatican, the ceremony constitutes a “schismatic act”, since the appointment of bishops without papal authorization represents a break with the authority of the Catholic Church.
The celebration brought together thousands of faithful from different countries and officialized the consecration of four religious: two French, one American and one Swiss. By disregarding the pontiff’s request to give up ordination, new bishops are automatically considered excommunicated.as well as the two bishops that the fraternity already had.
Founded in 1970 by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (1905-1991), the Saint Pius X Fraternity brings together around 600 thousand faithfulaccording to estimates. The group defends a rigorous interpretation of Catholic doctrine and liturgy, rejects the changes promoted by the Second Vatican Councilcarried out in the 1960s, and supports traditionalist positions, such as the defense of a patriarchal society and a State with a strong theocratic inspiration.
During the homily, the superior general of the fraternity, Father Davide Pagliarani, rejected the accusation of a break with Rome. “To maintain the faith, are we breaking with the Church? This dilemma is false. We belong to the Church, first of all by faith, by the integral profession of the Church’s faith”, he stated.
The ceremony lasted around four hours, was celebrated in Latin and took place outdoors in the same place where Marcel Lefebvre ordained, in 1988, the first four bishops of the fraternity.an episode that marked the biggest break between the group and the Vatican.
Vatican quotes breakup
According to the legislation of the Catholic Church, the ordination of a bishop without a mandate from the Pope implies automatic excommunication of those involved and characterizes an act of schism. Before the ceremony, Leo XIV sent a letter to the superior of the fraternity making a final appeal for the decision to be reviewed. “I beg from the bottom of my heart: reconsider your decision!”, wrote the pontiff.
In the message, the Pope also warned that, in the event of schism, sacraments administered by the new bishops, such as marriages and confessions, would no longer be officially recognized by the Catholic Church. Despite this, members of the Society of Saint Pius X insist that the ordination does not represent a rebellion against Rome.
“It is not an act of rebellion: it is an act that is born of love for the Church,” Father Michel Rion, professor of Theology at the Écône seminary, told AFP. According to him, “There is absolutely nothing schismatic or contrary to the Church in our actions. We hope the day comes when the Pope sees this. For us, being schismatics is the worst thing that could happen; we would rather die than be schismatics.”
The priest also criticized the direction adopted by the Church in recent decades, stating that it seeks to continually adapt its message to the contemporary world.
Voltage History
This is not the first time that the Society of Saint Pius X has directly challenged the Vatican. In 1988, then Pope John Paul II also tried to prevent the ordination of bishops carried out by Marcel Lefebvre, but the request was ignored. At the time, those involved were excommunicated, a punishment later suspended by Benedict XVI in 2009.
Currently, the fraternity claims to be present in 77 countries, spread across six continents. The group reports having 751 priests, 264 seminarians and around 800 places of worship.
Although it exerts influence in conservative sectors of Catholicism, the Society of Saint Pius X continues to be a minority movement among the more than 1.3 billion Catholics in the world. The justification presented by the group for the new ordination is the “need” to expand its episcopate, since until then it had only two active bishops, a number considered insufficient to sustain its expansion.
