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Traditionalist Catholic Group Consecrates Four Bishops in Switzerland
The Vatican’s doctrinal office on Thursday declared four newly consecrated bishops and their two ordaining bishops excommunicated. The decree followed the Society of Saint Pius X ceremony held Wednesday in Écône, Switzerland, despite an appeal from Pope Leo XIV to cancel it.
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The Society of Saint Pius X consecrated four bishops on Wednesday in Écône, Switzerland. The ceremony was livestreamed on YouTube and drew 17,000 worshippers according to the society. The event combined traditional Latin liturgy with digital wristbands and QR codes.
The Vatican’s doctrinal office issued a decree on Thursday stating that the four newly consecrated bishops and the two bishops who ordained them are excommunicated. The decree added that priests belonging to the Society of Saint Pius X and lay members who formally adhere to the group are in schism and likewise excommunicated. Excommunication bars those affected from receiving the sacraments.
The Society of Saint Pius X formed in November 1970. The group previously consecrated four bishops in 1988 who were excommunicated by Pope John Paul II. The superior general of the Society of Saint Pius X stated that the group and the Catholic Church speak different languages, with the society focused on faith in its simplicity while the church emphasizes inclusion and dialogue.
The ceremony proceeded despite an appeal from Pope Leo XIV to cancel the event. The decree warns all clerics and lay faithful that formal adherence to the Society of Saint Pius X will automatically incur excommunication.
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Schismatic defianceTraditionalist continuity
DefianceContinuity
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