Society of St. Pius X Consecrates Four Bishops at Swiss Seminary

The Society of St. Pius X consecrated four bishops without papal approval Wednesday at its seminary in Econe, Switzerland. The new bishops are Pascal Schreiber of Switzerland, Michael Goldade of the United States, Michel Poinsinet de Sivry of France and Marc Hanappier of France.

Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta, who was consecrated without papal consent in 1988, placed his hands on the heads of the four men during the rite. The ceremony took place under a tent attended by thousands of participants and was livestreamed on the society's YouTube channel with simultaneous translation in several languages.

The event occurred 38 years to the day after the Vatican declared the 1988 SSPX bishop consecrations a schismatic act.

The society was founded by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in opposition to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, including changes to relations with other faiths and the use of vernacular languages in Mass. The SSPX justified the consecrations by citing a state of necessity, noting that only two of the original four bishops survive.

The group claims 800 places of worship in 77 countries and says the new bishops are needed to ordain priests and administer confirmations according to the ancient rite.

Pope Leo XIV warned that consecrating bishops without his approval amounts to a sin of extreme gravity. In response, the SSPX superior, the Rev. Davide Pagliarani, urged the pope to wait before declaring any penalty.

A priest read a statement at the Mass declaring the consecrations a sacred duty toward Holy Church and toward souls and stating that every punishment and censure brought to bear against this step will have no validity. Marc-André Mabillard, media manager for the society, said the group does not fear any penalty. "We don’t fear it.