The Vatican has declared six bishops associated with the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) excommunicated following the unauthorised consecration of four new bishops in Écône, Switzerland, without the approval of Pope Leo XIV.
The Holy See said the two bishops who performed the consecrations, along with the four newly ordained bishops, automatically incurred latae sententiae excommunication under Catholic canon law. It described the consecrations as a “schismatic act,” saying they constituted a formal break in communion with the Catholic Church.
According to the Vatican, the pope alone has the authority to approve the consecration of bishops, making the ceremony a direct violation of Church law.
The Vatican also announced that priests of the SSPX no longer have the faculties to validly administer the sacraments of confession and marriage, meaning such sacraments celebrated by SSPX clergy will no longer be recognised as valid by the Catholic Church.
Before the consecrations took place, Pope Leo XIV had made a final appeal to the Society’s Superior General, urging the group to remain in communion with the Church.
“I plead with you and ask you with all my heart: please turn back!” the pontiff wrote in a personal letter.
The SSPX was founded in the 1970s by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in response to reforms introduced after the Second Vatican Council. Although the society was initially established with Vatican approval, disagreements over Church teachings later led to a breakdown in relations with Rome.
The latest development echoes the events of 1988, when Archbishop Lefebvre consecrated four bishops without papal approval, resulting in automatic excommunication. Those excommunications were lifted by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009 as part of reconciliation efforts, although the society’s canonical status remained unresolved.
The SSPX says it has about 600,000 members worldwide and operates seminaries, schools and chapels in several countries, including the United States.
Despite the sanctions, the Vatican said it continues to pray for reconciliation and hopes members of the SSPX will eventually return to full communion with the Catholic Church.
