The Vatican announced Thursday that priests and members of the Society of Saint Pius X, an ultra-traditionalist group, are in schism and excommunicated after they ordained four new bishops without papal approval.

Background

The Society of Saint Pius X was founded in 1970 in Switzerland by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, a French prelate, but was officially suppressed by the Bishop of Fribourg five years later. The group has been at odds with the mainstream church over reforms introduced in the 1960s by the Second Vatican Council.

The group, known as the SSPX, has an active presence in the United States, with a headquarters in Missouri and a seminary for training priests in Dillwyn, Virginia. One of the bishops newly ordained on Wednesday is Father Michael Goldade, who leads that seminary.

Pope Leo XIV had warned the group that the ordinations would be a “schismatic” act and a “sin of extreme gravity.” The Vatican’s doctrinal office published a decree saying that the four bishops are excommunicated, along with the two bishops who participated in the ordination ceremony.

Consequences

Excommunication means that the individuals are excluded from the sacraments of the church. The decree also warns all “clerics and the lay faithful” not to formally follow the society, as they will automatically incur the penalty of excommunication.

The Vatican’s ruling states that any marriage or confession offered by the group will be considered “invalid.” However, the note also says that “the Church, as a caring mother, will welcome with sincere affection and active care all those who wish to return to full communion.”

Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.