A traditionalist group of Catholic priests that has been at odds with the Vatican for decades threatened a full schism with Rome this weekend, saying it plans to ordain bishops without approval from the Holy See.
The Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) says it plans to move forward with ordinations on July 1. The Society of Priests celebrates only the traditional Latin Mass and has challenged certain reforms in the Second Vatican Council.
Brother Priest Brother Davide Pagliarani says he requested an audience with Pope Leo XIV in August to request new bishops for the association. Instead, the group received a letter from the Vatican stating that “our requests will not be responded to in any way.”
Priestly Society currently has two serving bishops: Bishop Bernard Fellay, a former superior general of the association, and Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta, according to EWTN.
POPE LEO
The Society of Priests says the Vatican did not act on its request to ordain more bishops this month. (Gregorio Borgia/AP)
Founder of the Priestly Fraternity Marcel Lefebvre was excommunicated by Pope John Paul II in 1988 after ordaining four bishops without Vatican permission.
The four bishops were also excommunicated, but Pope Benedict XIV and Pope Francis tried to gradually bring the group back into the folds of the Church.
Francis allowed members of the Priestly Fraternity to hear confessions and perform marriages, but said they would have no official office until they accepted Vatican II reforms.
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A new priest blesses worshipers after an ordination mass of the breakaway fundamentalist Roman Catholic association St. Pius X in Econe, western Switzerland. (STOFFEN KOFFRINI/AFP via Getty Image)
Pagliarani has emphasized that society does not seek a schism with the Vatican. He stated in November 2024, the 50th anniversary of Lefebvre’s founding of the Society of Priests, that “the Society of Saint Pius
Pagliarani then quoted Lefebvre and said: “This single goal remains ours today, just as it was fifty years ago: ‘That is why, without any rebellion, bitterness or resentment, we continue our work of priestly formation under the guiding star of the ever-present Magisterium, convinced that we cannot render a greater service to the Holy Catholic Church, to the Sovereign Pope and to future generations.'”
Pope Benedict (Eric Vandeville/ABACAPRESS.COM)
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The Catholic Herald reported Monday that the Society of Priests had been in discussions with the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith for the past year, indicating that Monday’s announcement could reveal a rift in the conversation.
