The Vatican has excommunicated the bishops and priests of the Society of St. Pius X, a traditionalist group that consecrated new bishops without the pope’s consent. The group, which opposes the modernizing reforms of the Catholic Church, has been a thorn in the Vatican’s side for five decades.

Background

The Society of St. Pius X was founded in 1970 by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who opposed the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. The group celebrates the ancient Latin Mass and rejects the church’s openness to other faiths.

The Vatican’s doctrine office declared the consecrations of four new bishops by the Society of St. Pius X to be a ‘schismatic act’ and excommunicated the bishops and priests involved. The decree also invalidated the sacraments of confession and marriage administered by the group’s priests.

Response

The Society of St. Pius X expressed shock at the severity of the sanctions, with its media manager calling them ‘unjust.’ The group’s superior, Rev. Davide Pagliarani, had asked to meet with Pope Leo, but was declined.

Other traditionalist groups, which remain in communion with the Holy See, expressed sympathy for the plight of the Society of St. Pius X faithful. The Latin Mass Society of England and Wales called the invalidation of marriages ‘a sad day’ and ‘massive pastoral problems.’

Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.