Lefebvrians ordain four bishops without papal consent, triggering automatic excommunication in full-blown Catholic schism
On July 1, 2026, the Society of St. Pius X ordained four bishops in an open-air ceremony in Écône, Switzerland, ignoring Pope Leo XIV's direct appeal and incurring automatic excommunication.
Background
The Society of St. Pius X, commonly known as the Lefebvrians, has been at odds with the Vatican since its founding in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. The group, which counts around 600,000 faithful and over 700 priests worldwide, firmly rejects the reforms of the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), including liturgical changes, ecumenism, and religious freedom. In 1988, Lefebvre consecrated four bishops without papal mandate, leading to excommunication by Pope John Paul II; the excommunications were lifted by Benedict XVI in 2009, but no lasting theological reconciliation was reached. With only two of those original bishops still alive, the SSPX argued it was essential to secure its episcopal succession.
The ceremony
On the morning of July 1, 2026, under a white tent near the SSPX seminary in Écône, Spanish Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta and Swiss Bishop Bernard Fellay laid hands on four men: Pascal Schreiber of Switzerland, Michael Goldade of the United States, and French candidates Michel Poinsinet de Sivry and Marc Hanappier. The Mass, celebrated in Latin and with the priest facing away from the congregation, was broadcast live in six languages. Over 15,000 pilgrims braved rain that began about three hours into the lengthy rite.
- Pope Leo XIV sends a letter to SSPX chief Davide Pagliarani urging him to cancel the consecrations.
- Ordination liturgy begins in a tent near the SSPX seminary in Écône, broadcast live.
- Approximately three hours into the ceremony, a rain storm drenches the open-air gathering.
- With the laying on of hands by Bishops Galarreta and Fellay, the four new bishops are consecrated, incurring automatic excommunication.
Papal reaction
Just a day earlier, Pope Leo XIV had addressed a personal letter to SSPX Superior General Davide Pagliarani, pleading with the group to reverse course.
The Pope warned that consecrating bishops without his consent would bring automatic excommunication (latae sententiae). A formal declaration from the Holy See is expected, although the penalty takes effect immediately.I beg you and ask you with all my heart: turn back! I exhort you to consider carefully the spiritual good of the faithful, because the schismatic act you would commit would deprive them of the lawful and, in some cases, even valid reception of the sacraments.
The SSPX justification
In his homily, Pagliarani portrayed the consecrations as an act of love for a suffering Church.
He insisted the group was not rejecting the Pope but acting out of necessity. The ceremony also included a formal reading of a declaration stating that any eventual censures were of "no value," a direct challenge to Vatican authority.The sacrifice God asks of us today is to be treated as rebels, but we want to serve the Church as a mother in difficulty, who suffers, sometimes betrayed, a mother who needs and deserves to be loved.
Consequences
Now excommunicated, the four new bishops and the two prelates who ordained them are cut off from full communion with Rome. The Vatican will likely clarify the invalidity of certain sacraments administered by them, potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of SSPX adherents. With roughly 733 priests and 264 seminarians in 70 countries, the rupture marks the first major church schism of the 21st century and a severe test for Pope Leo XIV's pontificate.
