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Pope Leo XIV urges traditionalist group to halt bishop consecrations
Pope Leo XIV wrote to the Society of St. Pius X asking it to cancel planned consecrations of four new bishops. The letter was sent one day before the ceremonies were scheduled at the group's seminary in Switzerland.
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Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday asked the Society of St. Pius X to cancel its planned consecration of four new bishops without papal consent. The letter was addressed to the group's superior and described the action as a schismatic act that would carry automatic excommunication under church law.
The consecrations were set for the following day at the society's seminary in Econe, Switzerland. Church rules state that bishops who perform or receive such consecrations without papal approval face automatic excommunication.
Background on the Society The Society of St.
Pius X was founded in opposition to reforms adopted by the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. Those reforms changed the church's relations with other religions, expanded the role of the laity, and permitted Mass in local languages instead of Latin.
In 1988 the society's founder consecrated four bishops without papal consent. The Vatican excommunicated those bishops, and the group has remained outside formal church structures.
Current offer and statistics In the letter, Pope Leo XIV repeated an offer of dialogue and warned that the consecrations would limit the faithful's access to valid sacraments. The society reports it currently has two bishops, 751 priests, 264 seminarians, and members from 50 nationalities.
