Pope Leo XIV has issued a plea to a breakaway group of traditionalist Catholics to call off its plan to consecrate new bishops without his consent. The Pope described the move as a schismatic act and a ‘sin of extreme gravity.’ The consecrations are set to take place at the group’s seminary in Econe, Switzerland.

Background

The group, known as the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), was founded in opposition to the modernizing reforms of the 1960s Second Vatican Council. The society’s members celebrate the ancient Latin Mass and have accused the modern church of being rife with heresies and errors.

The SSPX has been at odds with the Vatican since its founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, consecrated four bishops without papal consent in 1988. The Vatican promptly excommunicated Lefebvre and the four other bishops, but lifted those excommunications in 2009 as part of its outreach to try to bring the group back under its wing.

The current leader of the SSPX, Rev. Davide Pagliarani, responded to the Pope’s plea by asking him to take time before deciding any penalty. Pagliarani expressed a desire to serve the Roman Church, but through ‘extraordinary means’ due to the church’s current state.

Consequences

If the consecrations go ahead, the four new bishops and the bishop administering the consecration will incur automatic excommunication. The Vatican has warned that this will deprive the SSPX faithful of the licit and valid reception of the sacraments.

The SSPX has around 751 priests, 264 seminarians, and 250 religious sisters, representing 50 nationalities. The group’s actions pose a threat to the Holy See as a parallel, ultra-Catholic, pre-Vatican II church.

Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.