SSPX consecrates four bishops in Switzerland despite papal ban and excommunication threat
The Society of Saint Pius X consecrated four new bishops in Ecône, Switzerland, on Wednesday, directly challenging Pope Leo XIV and triggering automatic excommunication for those involved.
Consecration in Ecône
On Wednesday morning, the SSPX consecrated four priests as bishops in a ceremony under a large tent at its seminary in the Swiss canton of Valais. The two existing SSPX bishops, Bernard Fellay (67) and Alfonso de Galarreta (69), performed the rite. The new bishops are Pascal Schreiber (54, Switzerland), Michael Goldade (45, United States), Michel Poinsinet de Sivry (42, France), and Marc Hanappier (35, France). Thousands of faithful attended from dozens of countries, and the event was live-streamed on YouTube. Registered participants could buy a 75-franc souvenir wine set and an 'Econe2026' baseball cap.
Papal warning ignored
Pope Leo XIV had sent a letter to SSPX superior general Rev. Davide Pagliarani on 29 June, calling the planned consecrations a 'sin of extreme gravity' and urging the group to turn back. The Vatican released the letter on Tuesday, 30 June, one day before the ceremony. Pagliarani responded by asking the pope to wait before imposing any penalty. The SSPX district superior declared that any declaration of excommunication 'will have no validity'.
We don't fear it. It pains us immensely, but we believe that the good we seek is greater than the pain that will be inflicted upon us.
Consequences under canon law
Under the 1983 Code of Canon Law, consecrating a bishop without papal mandate incurs automatic excommunication (latae sententiae) for the consecrators and the new bishops. The act is also considered schismatic, creating the possibility of a formal split from the Church. Additionally, Pope Leo XIV could revoke the permissions granted by Pope Francis that allow SSPX priests to hear confessions and perform marriages.
Roots in Vatican II resistance
Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre founded the SSPX in 1970 to oppose the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, including religious freedom, ecumenism, and the recognition of Judaism. The group insists on the Tridentine Latin Mass and rejects the modern liturgies used in most parishes. In 1988, Lefebvre consecrated four bishops without papal consent, prompting excommunication by John Paul II; Benedict XVI lifted that penalty in 2009 as a reconciliation gesture. Wednesday's ceremony fell on the 38th anniversary of that 1988 consecration.
- Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre founds the Society of Saint Pius X in Ecône, Switzerland
- Lefebvre consecrates four bishops without papal mandate; Pope John Paul II excommunicates all involved
- Pope Benedict XVI lifts the 1988 excommunications as a gesture of reconciliation
- Pope Leo XIV writes to SSPX superior Pagliarani, calling the planned consecrations a 'sin of extreme gravity' and urging them to turn back
- Vatican releases the letter publicly; the SSPX confirms the ceremony will go ahead
- Four new bishops consecrated in Ecône; automatic excommunication triggered
SSPX stance: 'state of necessity'
The SSPX argues that with only two elderly bishops remaining, new consecrations are essential to minister to its estimated 600,000 to 800,000 followers across 800 places of worship in 77 countries. Approximately 16,000 faithful from 62 countries attended the ceremony, and many shrugged off the papal warnings. A Canadian visitor called excommunication 'the best advertising for us.' The group is also growing in Germany: the SSPX seminary in Zaitzkofen, Bavaria, ordained five priests last weekend, and the new Bishop Pascal Schreiber previously served as its rector.
Theologians see open disobedience
Wolfgang Beinert, emeritus professor of Catholic dogmatics in Regensburg, described the consecrations as 'an open act of disobedience against the pope' and said the group's rejection of council teachings placed it outside the Church. Theologian Lucia Scherzberg noted parallels with evangelical fundamentalists, pointing to shared features such as homophobia, rejection of democracy, and, in the case of the SSPX, antisemitism, citing the Holocaust-denying former bishop Richard Williamson.
