Catholic Society Consecrates Four Bishops Outside Official Church Authority

A Catholic traditionalist group conducted a five-hour ceremony on Wednesday that consecrated four new bishops at its seminary in Econe, Switzerland. The site sits among vineyards and mountains. The group performed the consecrations without approval from the Vatican hierarchy.

The event took place in a tent erected outside the seminary.

Photographs distributed by news outlets showed the newly consecrated bishops standing together after the rite. The ceremony followed standard liturgical forms used by the group. It lasted approximately five hours and included multiple ritual elements.

XIV had previously asked the group to maintain unity with the wider church. The consecrations proceeded without that approval. Church rules require authorization from the pope for new bishops. The group carried out the ordinations independently. The action adds to an existing division between the society and the Vatican over liturgical practices and governance.