Vatican Declares Society of St. Pius X in Schism and Excommunicates Bishops

The Vatican declared the Society of St. Pius X in schism on Thursday and excommunicated its bishops and priests. The move came one day after the society consecrated four new bishops in the Swiss town of Écône without papal approval.

Pope Leo had sent a letter urging the society to cancel the consecration and to turn back from the schismatic act. Vatican officials had warned beforehand that the ceremony could trigger immediate excommunication of the new bishops. The society formed in November 1970 in opposition to Second Vatican Council decisions that permitted services in languages other than Latin.

It rejected those reforms and maintains that the Roman Catholic Church holds primacy over other Christian denominations. The same group consecrated four bishops in 1988, actions that led to their excommunication by Pope John Paul II. Massimo Faggioli, a Vatican expert and professor of theology at Trinity College Dublin, described the consecration as an earthquake for the Church but not a surprise.

Stephen Bullivant, who teaches theology at St. Mary's University, said the event reflects the polarised debate within the church around the Second Vatican Council, the current direction of the Catholic Church, and the troubles of secularisation and decline of priests.

Revered Davide Pagliarani, superior general of the society, stated that the greatest sacrifice God can ask is that of being treated as rebels while wanting to serve the church as a mother in difficulty, overwhelmed and suffering.

The ceremony drew 17,000 worshippers according to the society and was conducted largely in Latin with digital wristbands and QR codes for payments.